Jaron Boots Ennis Reflects On Battering Opponent In Philadelphia

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is one heck of a fighter and recently he impressed again in Philadelphia.

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Last time out he defended his IBF world title again on July 24th battering David Avanesyan.

“Yeah, I watched that fight three or four times. I was hurting him; his eyes were closing, and I kept landing combinations. The crowd was going crazy. The future of boxing is Boots Ennis, live from the City of Brotherly Love—the home of Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins, and Jaron “Boots” Ennis. What do you remember from walking out to that moment in Philly?

All I remember is the crowd going crazy. It was a great vibe and an amazing atmosphere. I’m 27, in my fighting prime, 5’10” tall, with 31 wins—28 by knockout. I’m taking on the veteran David Avanesyan. Was that an off-balance shot, or did it hurt David? Was he off balance, or did you hurt him in that first round?

I think I hurt him with that shot right there; I worked on that hook to the body. I landed that shot cleanly. But yeah, for those ten seconds, it was the Boots show. Did he surprise you in the early rounds?

No, I knew he’d come out like that. It wasn’t anything different. Those body shots we worked on the whole camp, and the combination punches, too—just like that. And those short shots in the middle; we knew he’d try to stay in close. What was the key to keeping him at bay?

Just keep touching him, keep digging. I knew I’d break him down eventually, that I’d be too much for him. I kept chopping away. That was the game plan throughout camp.

Did you see any openings during the fight?

Oh yeah, I saw a lot of openings. I should have thrown more uppercuts. We practiced them, but I didn’t throw as many as I could have. From round one through round five, I saw chances for uppercuts. Every time I threw one, I caught him with it. We worked on body shots the whole camp, too; they were breaking him down. I had a feeling he might come in ready to quit, but he was tough. By the fourth round, his face was getting red, his eye was swollen, and the left side of his body was bruised from those body shots.

Did his toughness surprise you?

Not really; we knew he was going to be tough. He’s a guy who likes to stay in close and throw punches. We expected that. By the fourth or fifth round, he was visibly busted up. How hard was it to hold back and not go for the kill too early?

I was breaking him down, so I knew it was only a matter of time. I didn’t need to go crazy; every shot was backing him up, and I was hurting him. I didn’t even have to press the gas all the way. There was some swelling on the left side of his jaw. I was just having a little fun, hearing the crowd go wild behind me. I knew he’d throw something back, but I was ready to counter. The crowd sensed something big was coming; they were all on their feet as I kept letting my hands go.

What surprised me was that he was smaller than I expected, which made it easier to push him back and work in combinations. I doubled and tripled up, hitting the body and pushing him back. I think I broke his jaw. They stopped the fight in the corner—enough was enough. It was a special feeling to win like that at the Wells Fargo Center.

Was that the result you wanted for your homecoming fight?

Yeah, it was phenomenal. I’m glad I could do it at home; it was an amazing feeling. Could I have been better? Sure, but I’m happy with my performance. The crowd was incredible, all those people there. Next time will be even better. I’m Jaron “Boots” Ennis; I’m smarter, with better ring IQ, and I’m too much for him. Remember, November 9th on DAZN!”