At the weekend, welterweights Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian will square off at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. for 12 rounds.
The victor of this fight will be awarded the interim IBF championship and will likely face current champion Errol Spence Jr. “Boots” Ennis is a prohibitive favourite to win any boxing match, with odds of -3,500 and rising. Even though Chukhadzhian hasn’t lost since 2015, he’s the underdog with a +1,100 odds.
Our picks and predictions for the Washington, DC match between Ennis and Chukhadzhian are below.
On the undercard of Gervonta “Tank” Davis and “Hector Luis” Garcia, Jaron “Boots” Ennis will fight Ukrainian fighter Karen Chukhadzhian for the IBF interim welterweight championship.
In May, Ennis fought Custio Clayton and won through a second-round knockout.
In his most recent bout, Chukhadzhian successfully defended the IBF Inter-Continental welterweight title against Blake Minto in July in Germany, where he regularly competes.
How to watch Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian:
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on the following channels and here for free:
Live Broadcast: Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian Live (try free)
When Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian:
- Date: Saturday, January 7
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT
- Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian ring walks (approx): 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. GMT
The main event ring walks take place at 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. GMT, though these times are subject to vary depending on the length of the undercard bouts.
Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian Preview:
Ennis, a promising 25-year-old, enters the ring with a perfect record of 29-0 and 27 Kos. With a current knockout ratio of 90%, it’s clear that his fists pack a serious wallop. Only Eddie Diaz and James Winchester went the distance with him, each going four rounds in 2016. Ennis, who made his professional debut in 2016, is 5-feet-10 inches tall with a 74-inch wing spread. He has boxed in only 79 rounds across 29 bouts.
Ennis began boxing at age 15 and had a successful amateur career, finishing with a 58-3 record. He won gold at the 2015 US National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas, silver at the 2014 US National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas, and gold at the 2015 USA Youth National Championships in Reno.
After defeating Armando Alvarez in the third round, he became the new WBC (USNBC) Silver Welterweight Champion in 2018. For his professional career, Ennis has also triumphed over boxing greats such as Thomas Dulorme, Sergey Lipinets, Elvin Perez, James Winchester, Wilfredo Acuna, Mike Arnaoutis, and Juan Carlos Abreu. After Chris van Heerden got cut in the first round of their 2020 fight due to an unintentional clash of heads, the contest ended in a no-decision.
At 26, Chukhadzhian has an impressive record of 21-1-1 with 11 Ko’s. He turned pro in 2015 after a brief stint as an amateur, and since then he’s played 128 rounds. He’s barely over 5 feet 9 inches tall and his reach isn’t even specified, so he’s only a half-inch shorter than Ennis.
As of right now, Chukhadzhian’s knockout ratio is only 50%, thus he doesn’t exactly pack tremendous punching power. During his second professional fight in 2015, he lost the Super 8 junior middleweight final by a three-round split decision to Andrii Velikovskyi. Ali Funeka, Jose Rosales, Yannick Dehez, Ryan Martin, and Blake Minto are among the opponents he has defeated.
He previously only battled in Ukraine, Russia, and Germany, but he now trains and fights out of Germany. In addition to the WBO Youth Welterweight Title, Chukhadzhian has also won the WBC Youth Silver Welterweight Belt and the WBA International Welterweight Crown since turning professional.
Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian Prediction:
Ennis has a lot of talent and strength in the ring, making him a near-certainty to becoming a world champion in the near future. While Chukhadzhian is competent, he is not very impressive, and he is second best behind Ennis in all respects. I think Ennis will win Saturday night without any trouble, despite his best efforts.
If anything, Ennis’s abilities and strength will be decisive.
Jaron Ennis Record And Bio
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: June 26, 1997
- Height: 5′ 10″
- Reach: 74″
- Total Fights: 29
- Record: 29-0 (27 KOs)
Karen Chukhadzhian Record And Bio
- Nationality: Ukrainian
- Date of Birth: April 23, 1996
- Height: 5′ 9.5″
- Reach: N/A
- Total Fights: 22
- Record: 21-1 (11 KOs)
Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian Fight card:
- Gervonta Davis (c) vs. Hector Luis Garcia for the WBA (Regular) lightweight title
- Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian; Welterweight
- Rashidi Ellis vs. Roiman Villa; Welterweight
- Demetrius Andrade vs. Demond Nicholson; Super middleweight
