Ukrainian welterweight contender Karen Chukhadzhian and British contender Harry Scarff have been reportedly ordered by the IBF to fight in a final eliminator to determine the IBF mandatory challenger to challenge current IBF 147 lbs champion Jaron Ennis in the near future, according to Dan Rafael. The IBF’s decision to order this bout between these particular fighters has stirred some bewilderment due to the fact Chukhadzhian has already fought Ennis last year in January, but there appear to be no other viable contenders ranked by the IBF.
With #1 and #2 spot on the IBF’s welterweight rankings currently vacant, the #3 to #6 positions have been overlooked in favor of #7 Karen Chukhadzhian (23-2, 13 KO’s) and #9 Harry Scarff (13-2, 3 KO’s). While at first glance their inclusion in a final eliminator match might not make sense, #3 and #4 IBF 147 lbs contenders Giovani Santillan (32-0, 17 KO’s) and Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KO’s) both are considered #1 contenders by the WBO and WBC respectively and are expected to compete in their own final eliminators through the sanctioning bodies they’re ranked highest at.
Additionally, #5-ranked Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KO’s) has not fought since suffering a brutal loss to former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KO’s) on July 29th, 2023, and there is no indication on when he might return to the ring. #6-ranked Japanese contender Jin Sasaki (16-1-1, 15 KO’s) has not been any more active than Spence, having fought weeks before the July 29th undisputed welterweight fight against countryman Hiroto Hoshi who had a lackluster record of 5-2-3 when they stepped into the ring.
The selection of Chukhadzhian and Scarff can further be explained by their recent victories over respectively Italian contender Pietro Rossetti (18-2, 8 KO’s) and British contender Ekow Essuman (19-1, 18 KO’s), with Essuman having been known as top 10 IBF contender since December of 2022 and still positioned as such being he is currently ranked at #10.
Rossetti has yet to be ranked by any of the sanctioning bodies, but is one of two opponents that Karen Chukhadzhian defeated in 2023 following his January 7th unanimous decision (UD) loss to Jaron Ennis. Though Chukhadzhian’s most recent resume pales in comparison to Scarff’s who defeated a ranked opponent in Essuman, it appears clear that they both are the only viable contenders available for an elimination match at this point in time.
No information has yet been released on the deadline of the negotiations that will transpire between the teams of Chukhadzhian and Scarff, but negotiations are typically held over 30 days or 1 month, after which purse bid proceedings will commence if these talks do not conclude successfully. The elimination match is also presumed to be a final eliminator, despite the IBF having not yet released any public statement regarding this match themselves. The winner will therefore be considered the the IBF mandatory challenger to Ennis’ IBF welterweight world title.
