Jaron Ennis gets ready to defend his IBF welterweight title against Karen Chukhadzhian in Philadelphia on Saturday. The fight will take place at the Wells Fargo Center, marking a rematch from their January 2023 bout.
Ennis has shifted his focus from chasing a fight with Terence Crawford to becoming the undisputed champion at welterweight. He told TMZ Sports:
"I be getting tired of talking about me and him [Crawford] because he say one thing and everybody else say another. I'm not worried about it. He's looking for Canelo."
The Philly fighter now sets his sights on a bigger goal. He explained his new priority:
"My main focus is to be undisputed at 147. That's my goal."
Ennis plans to collect the remaining belts after his November 9th fight and make bigger fights happen in the division.
In their previous encounter, Ennis dominated Chukhadzhian, winning every round on all judges' scorecards. Now, he'll defend the IBF title he acquired after Crawford was stripped.
The welterweight division has seen some changes. Brian Norman Jr holds the WBO title, while Eimantas Stanionis is the WBA champion. Mario Barrios, the WBC titleholder, will defend his belt against Abel Ramos on the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul card on November 15 at AT&T; Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Ennis sees Barrios as a potential future opponent, saying:
"Barrios probably got the biggest name besides myself at 147, and I think me and him would go crazy. Everybody would want to see that!"
An interesting side note: David Avanesyan, who has fought both Ennis and Crawford, has reportedly revealed which man hits harder. However, the details of his claim weren't provided in the article.
As Ennis prepares for Saturday's fight, he's clearly got his eyes on bigger prizes in the welterweight division. His journey to become undisputed champion starts with defending his IBF title against Chukhadzhian.
