Jaron Ennis must defend his IBF welterweight title against Karen Chukhadzhian. The IBF has ordered 'Boots' to face the man he beat just 16 months ago in a mandatory defense.
Eddie Hearn, Ennis' promoter, isn't thrilled about the situation. He told Boxing News:
"I want to make one thing clear, I heard some comments about Jaron Ennis, the mandatory has been called and I'm not over the moon about it because it's a good fighter in Karen Chukhadzhian but it's someone that he's boxed before. There is nothing we can do in terms of the mandatory that has been called but we want to make the biggest fights out there. It's frustrating, if it's a fight that has to be ticked off quickly well we'll do it."
The welterweight division is changing. Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford have moved up to 154 lbs, leaving new opportunities for rising stars like Ennis. The 27-year-old 'Boots' wants to grab all the belts at 147 lbs before following Crawford up in weight.
Ennis won the vacant IBF title with a shutout victory over Chukhadzhian. He's eager to move on to bigger challenges. Hearn explained:
"We want big fights for Jaron Ennis. The plan for 'Boots', unquestionably, is to be in unification fights, I've made a substantial offer to Marios Barrios to fight Jaron Ennis, let's see what he says."
Hearn hopes Ennis can quickly dispatch Chukhadzhian and move on to more exciting fights in the division. The promoter has already made an offer to WBC champion Marios Barrios for a unification bout, showing their ambition to make the biggest fights possible for the rising star.
