IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) continued his unbeaten streak after successfully defending his crown in a rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs), whom he had previously defeated. Ennis faced the Ukrainian – mandatory challenger – in his native Philadelphia and again went to the scorecards: unanimous decision (119-107, 117.109, 116-110).
‘Boots’ went through a tough time in the seventh round and looked somewhat clueless despite his comfortable victory. He even stated that he was not very motivated by this “lower class fight”. His crowd was a little cold as Chukhadzhian tried more things than the cards dictated or at least more than his idol. Now Ennis says he is tired of talking about Terence Crawford, although he left doubts about whether he could cope with ‘Bud’.
But on the same night, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) was fighting, defending his WBC super flyweight title with a devastating third-round knockout against Pedro Guevara (42-5-1, 22 KOs). After a cautious start, ‘Bam’ showed his superiority.
Rodriguez connected with his left hook on numerous occasions in the second round, and his opponent felt it. In the third, a straight left sent Guevara to the canvas. As he got up, ‘Bam’ connected with a powerful right uppercut to the jaw. The Mexican went down. The referee began the count, but ended up stopping the fight. It was a remarkable victory for Jesse Rodriguez, as it was the first time Guevara had been knocked out. He was also a pioneer against Estrada. ‘Bam’ is confirmed as one of the great stars of the ring and in time he will receive much more attention than Ennis, who was acting in the main event.
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