Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants to fight boxers such as Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. to validate his potential as a star.
But for now the 27-year-old welterweight will have to do it against the likes of David Avanesyan.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will make his first title defense as IBF welterweight champion Saturday night against Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs).
Avanesyan, 35, is a hard-hitting Russian who’s vulnerable to a big punch, too. He beat a faded Shane Mosley in 2016 but also got knocked out last year by Crawford.
In 2023, Ennis was the mandatory challenger for the IBF welterweight belt against Crawford. But Crawford was working on a rematch with Spence, which led the IBF to strip him of the belt and award it to Ennis. Crawford now is fighting at 154 pounds.
So the IBF welterweight title is Ennis’ to defend, and Avanesyan’s to steal.
Follow the action, analysis and news with USA TODAY Sports’ coverage:
Jaron Ennis-David Avanesyan fight time
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.
How to watch the Jaron Ennis-David Avanesyan fight
You can watch the bout on DAZN. There is no pay-per-view fee but a subscription is required.
Jaron Ennis record
31-0 with 28 KOs
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan live updates: Fight time, full card
