By: Sean Crose
IBF welterweight kingpin Jaron “Boots” Ennis defended his crown Saturday night in a rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian, who he had previously defeated. Although Ennis was clearly the favorite walking in, Chukhadzhian was his mandatory opponent. Therefore, Ennis took on the Ukrainian contender in his hometown of Philadelphia. Being a defending champion has it’s advantages, after all. While he ultimately earned a decision victory, Ennis found himself engaged in a battle of wills against his determined opponent throughout the bout.
Chukhadzhian opened well, moving about the ring effectively in an awkward fashion while landing at times on the defending champion. Not that Ennis was being dominated. To the contrary. In truth the defending titlist was moving about and firing well himself. He was simply in a real fight for the first four rounds of the bout. Ennis, however, chopped his man down like a tree in the fifth. Chukhadzhian got to his feet and Ennis moved in for the kill. To his credit, the challenger was able to survive the round. By the sixth, Chukhadzhian was back in action.
The fighters continued to sock away at each other as the fight worked its way past the midpoint. Each man landed clean enough to let even the most casual viewer know that he possessed an incredible chin. In the tenth, referee Harvey Dock took a point from Chukhadzhian for excessive holding. Credit had to be given to both guys in the twelfth and final round, for these were two professionals who were literally giving it all in the ring in a high octane, at times sloppy, thoroughly entertaining bout. Suffice to say, the combatants threw heavy leather until the final bell. Ennis ended up getting the judges’ unanimous decision by scores of 119-107, 117-109, 116-110.
Earlier in the evening WBC super flyweight titlist Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez stalked then battered an outclassed Pedro Guevara, who he stopped in the third. What was impressive about Rodriguez was the fact that he refused to allow himself to become frustrated by Guevara’s defensive movement, which the fighter employed throughout the bout. Rodriguez simply kept moving forward until he was able to land on his man. Then the shots started adding up. By the third, Guevara was finished. Although he survived a first knockdown at the gloved hands of Rodriguez, he wasn’t able to survive a second, for the referee wisely stopped the fight before completing a count.