By: Sean Crose
IBF welterweight kingpin Jaron “Boots” Ennis defended his crown Saturday evening in a rematch in opposition to Karen Chukhadzhian, who he had beforehand defeated. Though Ennis was clearly the favourite strolling in, Chukhadzhian was his necessary opponent. Due to this fact, Ennis took on the Ukrainian contender in his hometown of Philadelphia. Being a defending champion has it’s benefits, in any case. Whereas he in the end earned a choice victory, Ennis discovered himself engaged in a battle of wills in opposition to his decided opponent all through the bout.
Chukhadzhian opened effectively, transferring concerning the ring successfully in a clumsy vogue whereas touchdown at occasions on the defending champion. Not that Ennis was being dominated. On the contrary. In reality the defending titlist was transferring about and firing effectively himself. He was merely in an actual combat for the primary 4 rounds of the bout. Ennis, nonetheless, chopped his man down like a tree within the fifth. Chukhadzhian received to his toes and Ennis moved in for the kill. To his credit score, the challenger was in a position to survive the spherical. By the sixth, Chukhadzhian was again in motion.
The fighters continued to sock away at one another because the combat labored its means previous the midpoint. Every man landed clear sufficient to let even probably the most informal viewer know that he possessed an unbelievable chin. Within the tenth, referee Harvey Dock took a degree from Chukhadzhian for extreme holding. Credit score needed to be given to each guys within the twelfth and closing spherical, for these have been two professionals who have been actually giving all of it within the ring in a excessive octane, at occasions sloppy, totally entertaining bout. Suffice to say, the combatants threw heavy leather-based till the ultimate bell. Ennis ended up getting the judges’ unanimous determination by scores of 119-107, 117-109, 116-110.
Earlier within the night WBC tremendous flyweight titlist Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez stalked then battered an outclassed Pedro Guevara, who he stopped within the third. What was spectacular about Rodriguez was the truth that he refused to permit himself to change into pissed off by Guevara’s defensive motion, which the fighter employed all through the bout. Rodriguez merely stored transferring ahead till he was in a position to land on his man. Then the photographs began including up. By the third, Guevara was completed. Though he survived a primary knockdown on the gloved fingers of Rodriguez, he wasn’t in a position to survive a second, for the referee correctly stopped the combat earlier than finishing a depend.