By: Sean Crose
IBF welterweight champion, Jaron “Boots” Ennis put his title on the line Saturday night in his hometown of Philadelphia against David Avanesyan. Ennis was widely favored to win the main event of a DAZN broadcast card, but boxing is the sport where anything seems to be possible.
Ennis, who appeared to tower over his opponent, immediately took to Avanesyan with his jab. Avanesyan went down from a low blow later in the opening round. After resuming the action, Avanesyan was drilled by a series of Ennis’ shots. The second round was a rather blistering affair. Ennis zipped shots at the challenger early on, while Avanesyan came on strong later.
Ennis spent much of the third putting a hurting on his man. While it was true Avanesyan wasn’t afraid to fire off his own shots, Ennis clearly was the stronger and more dominant fighter. A good portion of the fourth saw Ennis using Avanesyan as a punching bag. Still, Avanesyan was unquestionably a warrior, which made the match exciting. It was worth wondering, however, how long it would take before Avanesyan crumbled before Ennis’ assault.
The answer was less than one round, for a thunderous Ennis right sent Avanesyan to the mat in the fifth. Avanesyan beat the count, but his face was a bruised, bloody, puffy mess. No matter, he continued to keep trying. Fortunately, however, the ring doctor wisely stopped the fight after the bell ending the round.