I don’t know what I’m presupposed to really feel after Jaron “Boots” Ennis did what he was overwhelmingly favored to do Saturday evening. Hurray? I suppose.
I imply, Boots-David Avanesyan was by no means meant to be a “combat.” It was a “really feel good” showcase for the 27-year-old Ennis. It was a strategy to kick off his alliance with Eddie Hearn/Matchroom Boxing/DAZN with a spotlight reel blast in entrance of an energized hometown crowd at Wells Fargo Middle in Philadelphia and set up the narrative that this man is boxing’s subsequent huge factor. Or, on the very least, it was supposed to make Ennis really feel like he’s being placed on the highway to changing into boxing’s subsequent huge factor.
Ennis might very properly be the following huge factor on the American scene (he actually has the flexibility to be a next-level star), however this RTD 5 drubbing of Avanesyan Saturday evening did nothing to show or disprove that.
The promotion managed to fill two-thirds of a 21,000 seat enviornment, which is definitely fairly good these days. It additionally introduced big-time boxing again to Philadelphia, one thing which labored like Viagra to stimulate the loins of an outdated, lazy boxing media and spur them on to intensive protection of the occasion.
However, for the common boxing fan, this combat meant nothing. Hell, it even meant subsequent to nothing to a lot of the hardcore “Boots” Ennis followers who’re satisfied that the person is Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Floyd Mayweather all rolled into one. It was only a -1400 favourite beating the stuffing out of a man no person, anyplace thought would win.
The media rolled out the same old adjectives with regards to guys like Avanesyan. He was “powerful…recreation…he confirmed nice braveness…he was a warrior.” A lot was product of the handful of punches he landed on Ennis, sprinkled all through the five-round combat. However Ennis was hit as a result of he had no motive to worry what was coming again at him as he showcased his offensive prowess. This was not “Boots” being susceptible, it was “Boots” being a man who knew he might make each mistake on the earth and nonetheless stroll away the simple winner.
Avanesyan was considerably of a late alternative for authentic B-side Cody Crowley. However, once more, this Ennis combat, on this date, was all the time meant to be a showcase. Crowley could also be 4 years youthful than Avanesyan and significantly more energizing, however he was meant to be a fall man simply the identical.
Sorry, not sorry, for raining on some parades this Monday.
So, now that we obtained the signing bonus combat out of the best way, the place does “Boots” go from right here?
“Nowhere” appears to be the obvious reply.
As I wrote final week, at my different gig as Managing Editor of Boxingnews.co:
“Combating in entrance of 10 or 15K screaming hometown followers will make for an energizing Matchroom debut on DAZN. However then what? Subsequent-level opposition with identify worth is a “should” if a fighter needs to be an actual star. There’s none of that to be discovered at welterweight proper now, the place the most important energetic names are at present Mario Barrios and Eimantis Stanionis. Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney are supposedly headed as much as 147, however they gained’t be wanting Boots’ means for a similar motive Crawford didn’t and Spence wouldn’t.
Even a transfer as much as junior middleweight gained’t assure huge fights, with Crawford up there and guys like Vergil Ortiz Jr., Tim Tszyu, and Sebastian Fundora additionally there, shifting in all completely different instructions with separate promotional ties.
If Boots’ marketing strategy is to take hefty DAZN paychecks for preventing “subsequent finest availables,” like he did at Showtime (and is doing in opposition to Avanesyan this Saturday, let’s be actual), then, he’ll be happy along with his profession path over the following few years.
He clearly aspires to extra, although.”
The combat he most likely wants essentially the most at 147-154 is versus Terence Crawford (who additionally beat the stuffing out of Avanesyan again in 2022), however Crawford has ranged from detached to belligerently dismissive with regards to going through Ennis. And, to be truthful, Ennis has not appeared all that keen about going through Crawford, even when “calling him out.”
So, how do you grow to be a next-level star when there are not any stars to beat in his weight vary? As I put it in my Boxingnews.con piece– this may be a case of Ennis tying to “grow to be a star in a starless sky.”
That’s going to be the true problem for Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. Filling hometown arenas and discovering eye-pleasing fall man opposition is simple. Constructing a star with out piggyback rides to stardom goes to be powerful.
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