By: Sean Cross
When recently asked by Lance Pugmire FightHype Whether it was Errol Spence or Terence Crawford, the best welterweight in the world, Jaron “Boots” Ennis was ready with a bold answer: “I’m the best welterweight in the world.” The man may be right. The twenty-five-year-old artist, who has a record of twenty-nine wins and zero losses, has won all but two of his opponents by distance. Suffice it to say, this being modern boxing, people are wondering if Ennis will be blocked by the biggest names in the business – namely Spence and possibly Crawford. Based on his interview with Pugmire, however, Ennis doesn’t seem to think so.
This Saturday, the Philly native will take on little-known 21-1 Karen Choukadzian in a scheduled 12-round bout for the IBF interim welterweight title. And a win could tie Spence for the current IBF world welterweight title. “I think it’s definitely a clear path to the main belt, to the IBF belt,” Ennis said of Saturday’s win. “I feel like it’s going to put me right there.” The IBF is known for enforcing its own rules (something completely unusual in today’s boxing business).
“I feel like the IBF is strict about what’s going on,” the fighter added. If that’s the case, Ennis may actually be getting his chance against Spain, especially now that the much-anticipated battle between Spain and another world-famous Crawford has fallen through. Not that Ennis thinks Spence is afraid. “I think he’s going to throw me,” he said of Spence. “I feel the fans want to see him. If not him or Crawford, you want to see me and him. As for Chukhadzhian, who faces this weekend’s Gervonta Davis-Luis Garcia pay-per-view event, Ennis points out that he and his team have been hard at work.
“I haven’t seen much of him, but my brother, my team has been watching him,” Ennis said. Although he doesn’t study Chukadchian, Ennis has been studying Memory Warrior in preparation for this Saturday’s battle. “I’ve been watching a lot of Mike Tyson,” he said, noting that Pugmire is learning the tapes of one of the all-time greats. As for the lessons he learned watching Tyson fight, “Pressure,” he says, “move a lot of double shots with your hands to get your head in.”
“I just want to go out there and be smart,” Ennis said of Chukadchian.
