Jaron Ennis had no choice but to wait.
The gifted weight division is undefeated, 29-0 (27 KOs). He is ranked in the Top 3 of all four major sanctioning bodies, behind only champion Errol Spence Jr. in IBF. He is hailed by some as the future pound-for-pound king.
However, great opportunities still eluded him. He thought he would fight hot candidate Eimantas Stanionis on the pay-per-view show Gervonta Davis-Hector Garcia on January 7 only to find out that Stanionis would face Vergil Ortiz one day. other. And no one else seems to care at the moment.
That left “Boots” fighting against little-known Karen Chukhadzhian for the IBF “interim” title on the Davis-Garcia card in Washington, D.C.
Ennis, 25, said: “It was a bit difficult waiting to fight these guys. “I’m sitting here waiting, fighting whoever they put in front of me. I have to do what I do, keep winning, keep knocking people down.
“If I do that, everything will fall into place. After this war, it will get bigger and bigger.”
Chukhadzhian’s first name – as it would be pronounced in English – generated some ridicule on social media but Ennis knew Ukrainians were no joke.
The 26-year-old from Kiev was ranked by two organizations, 4th by the IBF. Chukhadzhian (21-1, 11 KOs) is a table tennis boxer who hasn’t lost since his second professional bout in 2015, although he has never competed outside of Europe.
Ennis would rather face a big-name opponent but insists there’s no risk of ignoring this one.
“I don’t care who I’m fighting, a kid, my cousin, I don’t care who. I always train to do what I have to do,” he said. “… I am always motivated. Even when I don’t have to fight, I stay motivated. I want to keep growing, to make my legacy, to be a historic champion.
“You will never find me unmotivated. I will be sharper than ever [on Jan 7) and get the knockout at the end of the night.”
Afterward he’ll do what he always does, get back into the gym and prepare for whomever is his first opponent in the new year.
“I keep getting better and better every time out,” he said. “These guys haven’t seen anything yet. I’m going to keep going. And the longer they wait, the worse it’s going to get. … Staying the gym, that’s how I stay focused, stay locked in. I’m always trying to perfect myself, correcting my mistakes, sharpening my tools in the gym.
“I feel I will be No. 1 pound-for-pound. I just have to get my hands on one of those belts. And then that’s it.”
