By Keith Idec

JARON ENNIS envisioned packing Wells Fargo Center for one of his fights when he attended a Philadelphia 76ers game there March 1 to customarily ring the replica Liberty Bell on the court of his hometown’s NBA team. 

Ennis, then entangled in litigation with the widow of his late promoter, didn’t realize that he would get that long-coveted opportunity merely four months later. The unbeaten IBF welterweight champion expects to box before at least a near-capacity crowd at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night, when Ennis is scheduled to encounter Russian-born contender David Avanesyan, who resides and trains in Newark, England. 

July 10th, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jaron “Boots” Ennis and David Avanesyan face off ahead of their bout on July 13th, 2024 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom.

The 27-year-old Ennis, who grew up approximately 20 miles north of Wells Fargo Center in the Germantown section of northwest Philadelphia, will fight in his hometown for the first time since the gifted fighter nicknamed ‘Boots’ knocked out Raymond Serrano in the second round of their November 2018 bout at nearby 2300 Arena. Ennis will also end a 53-week layoff against Avanesyan, most known to boxing fans for his sixth-round knockout loss to Terence Crawford in December 2022. 

“I’m definitely excited to get back in the ring,” Ennis told Boxing News. “It’s been a good, long year. You know, in the meantime, I was just getting ready, staying ready, staying patient, perfecting my craft. And it’s a blessing to be able to fight at the Wells Fargo Center. I kinda been waiting all my life for it. … I’m grateful to be put in this position. I’m going down in history in Philadelphia.” 

As much as Ennis’ long-awaited return represents a reunion of sorts with thousands of his Philadelphia faithful, it is also a chance to expand Ennis’ profile far beyond the United States. 

Ennis signed a multi-fight agreement with Matchroom Boxing three months ago. His new partnership with Matchroom means Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs, 1 NC) will make his DAZN debut versus Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs). The card headlined by Ennis-Avanesyan is set to start streaming at 1am BST in the UK. 

Adding Ennis marked Matchroom’s most significant signing of an American-born boxer since the promotional company run by Eddie Hearn launched Matchroom Boxing USA six years ago. The often-hyperbolic Hearn has been especially effusive in his praise of the versatile, explosive Ennis, whom Hearn predicted will become an undisputed champion in multiple divisions. 

 “Everybody in boxing knows about this guy,” Hearn said recently. “Now it’s time to tell the world. You’re talking about pure, pure elite. You’re talking about the likes of Crawford and Spence. I’m talking about [‘Sugar Ray’] Leonard. I’m talking about this is how good this kid can be. He’s gonna light up Philadelphia. He’s gonna light up American boxing. He’s gonna light up U.S. boxing, world boxing. He’s got absolutely everything – the ability to beat everybody. He’s got style, he’s got speed, he’s got power. When you spell greatness, it spells E-n-n-i-s. And it’s time to put him to the test. This guy, I’m telling you, is the future of the sport.” 

Each of Ennis’ past 12 fights were televised by Showtime either live on that premium cable network or during pay-per-view broadcasts Showtime distributed. Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis – Jaron’s father, manager and trainer – and his son were willing to continue having him compete on cards constructed by Premier Boxing Champions founder Al Haymon after Cameron Dunkin, Ennis’ longtime promoter, died January 2 due to a long battle with cancer. 

Jaron Ennis in action (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Ennis wasn’t officially affiliated with PBC and thus wasn’t appropriately prioritised by Haymon. Showtime had a multi-fight agreement with Ennis, who was paid purses that exceeded $1 million for each of his final five fights with the network. 

Paramount Global, Showtime’s parent company, eliminated its Showtime Sports division at the end of 2023, which halted the network’s 36-year run in boxing and further complicated Ennis’ involvement with PBC. Ennis’ handlers directly dealt with Stephen Espinoza, Showtime’s former president of sports and event programming. 

Espinoza attempted to keep Ennis aligned somewhat with PBC after Showtime exited the boxing business, but Haymon’s first three cards since he partnered with Amazon’s Prime Video have all been pay-per-view shows. Haymon doesn’t have a platform for non-pay-per-view events, which eliminated Ennis’ opportunities to headline those types of cards.

Ennis eventually sued NOW Boxing Promotions for breach of contract, in part because he was reportedly concerned that Dunkin’s widow, Kellie Dunkin, couldn’t adequately guide his career due to her lack of experience in the boxing business. NOW and Ennis agreed to an undisclosed settlement in March, which enabled Ennis to shop his services to the sport’s top promoters. 

Ennis hoped to box WBC interim champ Mario Barrios on PBC pay-per-view cards that took place in March and then June. The Barrios bout failed to materialize, however, and Ennis ended a frustrating guessing game by signing with Matchroom. 

“I just feel like I need to stay active,” Ennis said, “to stay in the ring, stay fighting, stay sharp, so I can be able to collect the rest of these belts. That’s my main thing right now.” 

A full version of this article appears in the latest Boxing News. Buy here to read.