Jaron Ennis recently defeated Karen Chukhadzhian, retaining his IBF welterweight title but feeling his performance fell short of expectations. Looking ahead, Ennis aims for high-stakes matchups, including potential title unifications and a highly anticipated showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia. Ennis is determined to face only elite competition in his pursuit of greater challenges and to prove he’s a top force in boxing.
Ennis Reflects on Chukhadzhian Fight: A Win with Room for Improvement
Jaron Ennis, the IBF welterweight champion, recently reflected on his latest performance against Karen Chukhadzhian, acknowledging that it didn’t quite meet his personal expectations. While Ennis retained his title with a unanimous decision, his showing left some fans and critics divided. The fight saw Ennis outclassing Chukhadzhian overall, even knocking him down, yet he couldn’t deliver the emphatic finish he had confidently predicted. Chukhadzhian showed resilience, winning a few rounds and even forcing Ennis onto the defensive at times. The judges scored the fight decisively in Ennis’s favor with tallies of 119-107, 117-109, and 116-110. Despite these scores, Chukhadzhian—who lost a point for holding—demonstrated that he had sharpened his skills since their initial meeting in 2023.
In terms of the fight’s statistics, Ennis landed 224 punches out of 730 thrown, while Chukhadzhian connected with 173 out of 522 attempts. This was a marked improvement for Chukhadzhian, who had been more thoroughly outmatched in their first bout. Even so, Ennis wasn’t fully satisfied with his own performance, confessing that he could have been sharper and more precise. He admitted he hadn’t adhered as closely to his trainer’s guidance as he should have and vowed to make adjustments. Ennis also hinted that he may soon move up a weight class in pursuit of new challenges and higher-level competition.
Looking Ahead: Ennis Sets Sights on Unification Bouts and Elite-Level Competition
With this rematch behind him, Ennis is now setting his sights on more significant matchups. There is growing excitement around possible unification bouts with other champions in the division, including Mario Barrios (WBC), Brian Norman Jr. (WBO), or Eimantas Stanionis (WBA). However, the potential fight that has everyone buzzing is a showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. Ennis’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has even teased that this highly anticipated matchup could happen on February 22 in Saudi Arabia, giving fans plenty of reason to look forward to an action-packed showdown.
Ennis hasn’t minced words about the level of competition he desires. “I don’t want to fight no bottom-tier guys,” he stated, making it clear he’s prepared to take on only the elite in the welterweight division. He assured fans that his next fight would be a showcase of his best abilities and a reminder of why he’s a force to be reckoned with in boxing.
