American IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis and Ukrainian contender Karen Chukhadzhian will be battling each other for the second time in roughly two years as Matchroom confirms the two will headline a show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on November 9. Complementing the card in the co-main event will be Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez who will be defending his WBC flyweight title for the first time since acquiring it earlier this year.
The IBF-ordered mandatory bout between Jaron Ennis (32-0, 29 KO’s) and Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KO’s) was reportedly won by P2P Box Promotions (PBP), representing Chukhadzhian, who outbid Ennis’ promoter [Matchroom] in a purse bid.
With PBP being a relatively unknown promotion compared to Matchroom, however, it appears PBP has decided to cooperate with Matchroom due to, presumably, a lack of resources. As a result, Matchroom will be the acting promoter for the fight, with the two having likely negotiated a deal for the British-based promotion to take the lead in this regard given their exclusive contract to the global-reaching DAZN streaming platform.
Ennis previously successfully defended his IBF welterweight (147 lbs) title for the first time against Russian contender David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KO’s)―who he defeated in the 5th round of their title fight by technical knockout (TKO).
Despite the two set to compete in a rematch of their 2023 fight―which saw Ennis win clearly by unanimous decision (UD), their second upcoming battle might still be of relevance with Chukhadzhian having notably been on a resurgence since his loss to Ennis. While the Ukrainian fighter has fought lesser opposition after his defeat in 2023, Chukhadzhian is currently on a three-win streak with two fights having been won by knockout (KO)/TKO.
With Chukhadzhian further rated as a fighter with an above-average ring IQ, adjustments will be expected to be made by him, setting up the possibility of a more competitive fight between him and Jaron Ennis this time around.
The co-main event will feature recently-crowned American WBC super flyweight (115 lbs) champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KO’s) defend his title for the first time against Mexican challenger Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KO’s). Guevara, 35 compared to Rodriguez’ 24 years of age, has been a staple in the flyweight division for several years and has challenged for the interim WBC 115 lbs title twice―losing once in 2023 and winning just earlier this year to claim the interim title that earned him this opportunity to face Rodriguez.
Jesse Rodriguez is coming off a close but empathic victory over Mexican former WBC flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28 KO’s)―thereby claiming Estrada’s WBC title―after previously defeating another top-rated champion in British fighter Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KO’s) last December, which resulted in Rodriguez becoming a unified flyweight (112 lbs) champion.
American former WBA featherweight (126 lbs) champion Raymond “Savage” Ford (15-1-1, 8 KO’s) will also make an appearance on the undercard following his defeat to British fighter Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KO’s) who now holds Ford’s WBA title. Ford will be moving up to super featherweight (130 lbs) for his upcoming fight as he faces Puerto Rican contender Orlando Gonzalez (23-2, 13 KO’s)
American middleweight (160 lbs) contender Austin “Ammo” Williams (16-1, 11 KO’s)―who competed on the same card as Ford last June―will also be participating on the undercard against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
Lastly, undefeated American super lightweight (140 lbs) contender Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (16-0, 15 KO’s) will be making his Matchroom debut on the card after signing with the British promotion in August. His opponent also will be announced in the near future.
