Jaron "Boots" Ennis defended his IBF welterweight title with a TKO victory over David Avanesyan Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ennis knocked down Avanesyan in the fifth round and the challenger looked spent as he headed back to the corner.
Before the sixth round started, the referee stopped the fight on the advice of the ringside physician.
"I knew I was too strong for him," Ennis said. "I should have listened to my corner a little more. Jabbed a little more, got to that body a little more, more angles. … It’s OK."
It was the first title defense for Ennis, 27, who improved to 32-0 and reinforced his status as one of the top rising stars in boxing. He has scored knockouts in 29 of his fights.
Ennis, a native of Philadelphia, was fighting in front of a hometown crowd of about 14,000 after a year-long layoff.
"I did feel a little off," he said. "That’s OK, I did get the job done."
Fighting, and winning, in his hometown "felt phenomenal," he said.
Ennis indicated he’d like to fight Terence Crawford even if it requires Ennis to move up to 154 pounds from his current spot at 147 pounds.
“I want the big names,’’ he said.
Avanesyan, 35, called this fight his last shot at a world title. He fell to 30-5-1.
Round-by-round analysis of the Ennis-Avanesyan fight and full highlights from the card:
Ennis out quickly firing jabs. Avanesyan covering up. Avanesyan sneaks in a right, but Ennis in control early. Now he’s working the body too and slipping punches. Avanesyan caught with a low blow – a right uppercut – and he is on the ground and in AGONY. Has five minutes to recover, and the crowd is growing restless. Fight is on again, and Ennis is still on the attack. Ennis 10, Avanesyan 9.
Ennis unloading, but now Avanesyan fighting back. Avanesyan now stalking and finding his mark with a variety of punches. Impressive exchanges. Ennis 20, Avanesyan 18.
Ennis showing superior power and volume, but it’s clear Avanesyan isn’t going down without a fight. Ennis picking up the pace even more. Ennis fighting off the ropes, content with unloading uppercuts and taking some punches along the way. Ennis 30, Avanesyan 27.
Ennis appears comfortable even when Avanesyan stalks. Already showing much of his vast repertoire and punishing Avanesyan’s body. Avanesyan throwing punches, but not connecting much. A little showmanship from Ennis. Ennis 40, Avanesyan 36.
Ennis misses with a big right and slips. Avanesyan exults as Ennis falls to a knee. Avanesyan lands a big uppercut and then he briefly hits the canvas. Slip-and-sliding here. Avanesyan all in here, doing his best to turn the tide. Down goes Avanesyan. He lands a punch and eats a bigger one! But he’s back on his feet and more exchanges ensue. Ennis unloading. Somehow Avanesyan still on his feet. Ennis 50, Avanesyan 44.
The fight is over. The Referee called the fight based on advice from the ringside physician. Ennis wins by TKO.
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, welterweight, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Avanesyan is in the ring. Ennis is on his way.
Hackett, 21, dominated the early rounds of the 10-round welterweight fight and improved to 9-0.
Hackett was bleeding from under his right eye when the fight ended. But he clearly inflicted more punishment by landing more powerful punches.
The judges scored it 97-93, 97-93, 96-94.
Dobson, 34, came on late but fell to 16-2.
Round-by-round analysis:
Hackett out quick, firing the left jab and following it up with combinations. Dobson counters with a left. This fight is on. Hackett stays on the attack but Dobson counters. Hackett 10, Dobson 9.
The two meet in the middle of the ring and punches fly. But Hackett shows more power. Dobson more tactical, picking his spots. But Hackett landing far more punches. Hackett 20, Dobson 18.
Hackett still dictating the action. And that means they're mixing it up. Hackett starting to target Dobson’s body. But Dobson strikes back with a right hook. Hackett 30, Dobson 27.
The 21-year-old Hackett showing no letup and tags Dobson with a few brutal left hooks. Dobson growing inactive. Hackett swinging for the fences now. Dobson showing some fight nonetheless. Hackett 40, Dobson 36.
Hackett unloading early here. Dobson backing away, and running out of real estate. The 34-year-old Dobson appears to be running out of gas early. Huge welt on the left side of Dobson’s forehead. Hackett 50, Dobson 45.
No surprise as Hackett comes out firing, attacking Dobson’s head and body. Dobson showing renewed energy, but not enough power to slow Hackett. Hackett 60, Dobson 54.
The knot on the left side of Dobson’s forehead was the result of a Hackett elbow. Doesn’t seem to be having any impact on the fight. Some noteworthy exchanges, and Hackett seems to be getting the best of them. Dobson showing more pop and risk taking. Hackett 69, Dobson 64.
Hackett undeterred coming off of Dobson’s best round. He’s stalking again, then runs into a combination from Dobson. Hackett 78, Dobson 74.
Dobson’s corner asking for even more aggression. Hackett won’t be manhandled. He’s firing that jab and the exchanges ensue. The pace slows. Hackett 88, Dobson 83.
Both boxers, especially Dobson, showing impressive energy for Round 10. Fight’s turning into a slugfest in this final minute. Hackett 97, Dobson 93.
Scheduled for 10 rounds
Nicolson defended her WBC featherweight title with a dominant victory over Vargas in their 10-round bout.
All three judges scored the fight 100-90 in favor of Nicolson, a 28-year-old Australian who went almost untouched and improved to 11-0.
Vargas, the aggressor for most of the fight, at one point mimicked a chicken as Nicolson backpedaled. But Vargas repeatedly walked into punches and Nicolson showed superior footwork and precision.
Vargas, a 32-year-old from the Dominican Republic, fell to 19-2.
Round 1: Vargas ducking and diving. Nicolson fighting in a more traditional stance and lands her jab. Nicolson continues to score. Nicolson 10, Vargas 9.
Round 2: Vargas comes out stalking, but it’s not yet translating into big punches. In fact, she walks into a few punches from Nicolson, who's showing precision. Nicolson 20, Vargas 18.
Round 3: Vargas charges out again on the attack and lands a right. But it’s messy fighting. Nicolson creates distance and firing the jab and left. Vargas mimics a chicken as Nicolson backpedals, and she responds by landing punches. Nicolson 30, Vargas 27.
Round 4: It’s more of the same, Vargas stalking Nicolson and walking into punches. Nicolson showing superior footwork and defense. Nicolson 40, Vargas 36.
Round 5: Vargas manages to close the distance, but Nicolson slips away before Vargas has a chance to connect with punches. Nicolson now lands a couple of BIG lefts but Vargas on her feet as the round ends. Nicolson 50, Vargas 45.
Round 6: This is turning into target practice for Nicolson, who’s still making good use of her right jab and left hand. Nicolson 60, Vargas 54.
Round 7: At this point, Nicolson won’t need much ice for swelling. Looks like her face has gone almost untouched. Can’t say the same for Vargas, who's getting hit with a lot of crisp shots. Nicolson 70, Vargas 63.
Round 8: Vargas lands a right. Worth noting after a lot of swinging and missing. Vargas looking even more aggressive, but once again she’s getting caught with lefts and the jab. Nicolson 80, Vargas 72.
Round 9: Vargas holding nothing back. Nicolson doesn’t seem to enjoy the physicality here. But she’s still landing the jab and her left. Vargas spinning around as she gets hit. Nicolson appears to be smiling. Nicolson 90, Vargas 81.
Round 10: Nicolson tattoos Vargas face with another right-left combo. Now it’s stick-and-move from Nicolson, who gives Vargas a taste of her medicine by mimicking a chicken. Vargas bleeding from under left eye. More chicken mimicking as the fight ends. Nicolson 100, Vargas 90
Coe dispatched Ritter with a second-round TKO in their light heavyweight fight.
Coe, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, improved to 9-0-1 and now has knocked out six of his opponents.
Ritter, a late fill-in for the fight, came out quick in the first round. But Coe turned the tables in the following round.
Coe dropped Ritter with an overhand right early in Round 2 and continued to demolish his opponent until the referee stopped the fight with 61 seconds left in the round.
Ritter, a 33-year-old from Maryland, fell to 11-2.
Round 1: Ritter strikes first, firing at the body and head. Coe settling in and counters. Coe asserting himself behind his jab. But Ritter has remained active throughout the round. Ritter 10, Coe 9.
Round 2: Coe comes out more assertive, leading with the jab. Then lands a right hand, and down goes Ritter! Pummeled with an overhand right! He’s up and ready to fight. Coe demolishing Ritter now and the ref stops the fight with a minute left in the round.
The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET. Ringwalks for the Jaron Ennis-David Avanesyan fight are scheduled for about 10:40 p.m. ET.
You can watch the bout on DAZN. There is no pay-per-view fee but a subscription is required.
Skye Nicolson vs. Dyana Vargas, featherweight
Christopher Diaz vs. Derlyn Hernandez, super featherweight
Khalil Coe vs. Manuel Gallegos, light heavyweight
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, welterweight
Christian Carto vs. Carlos Buitrago, bantamweight
Ismail Muhammad vs. Frank Brown, super lightweight
Dennis Thompson vs. Fernando Valdez, bantamweight
Tom Gray, The Sporting News: We’ve seen enough of Boots Ennis to know that it’s going to take a special fighter to beat him. Avanesyan can hit hard, he's brave, and he’s tough… but he’s not special. Prediction: Ennis by KO, fifth round.
James Slater, Boxing News 24/7: “Look for a gritty effort from (Avanesyan) and more special stuff from “Boots’’ as he goes through his considerable repertoire. Prediction: Boots by stoppage inside eight rounds.
31-0 with 28 KOs
30-4-1 with 18 KOs
BetMGM: Ennis -2000 favorite, Avanesyan +1200 underdog
FanDuel: Ennis -1800, Avanesyan +1100
DraftKings: Ennis -2500, Avanesyan +1200
Depending on who you believe, Crawford has ducked Ennis or Ennis has ducked Crawford. But Ennis now makes it clear he’d like to fight Crawford.
Cody Crowley, originally scheduled to fight Ennis, was forced to withdraw from the bout because of fluid accumulation in his right eye.
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
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