Trainer Greg Hackett says the reason IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis had trouble with Karen Chukhadzhian on Saturday night was because the challenger went into survival mode after being knocked down in the fifth round.
(Credit: Amy Westcott/Matchroom Boxing)
Greg’s reasons for Boots Struggling
- Chukhadzhian was in survival mode. He didn’t want to be hit, so he held on and moved.
- Boots was not motivated to fight. Since Ennis had already easily beaten Chukhadzhian a year ago, he was excited about the fight, which allowed the challenger to take advantage of him.
Hackett points out that Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) held on long after the takedown and didn’t let Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) hit him again. So, hit often and move for the last seven rounds.
In the eyes of the fans, it looked like Ennis’ defensive skills were being exposed by Chukhadzhian, who was hitting him at will with clean shots throughout the fight and really getting hands on him in the championship rounds.
After the tenth deduction point for the tena, an offensive fire was ignited under Chukhadzhian, who tore into Ennis in rounds 11 and 12. Teed off on Boots, hit with powerful blows to close and inside.
When the cameras panned to the audience in the 11th, you could see concern in the fans’ faces, who were like “What’s happening to Boots?” Chukhadzhian was not trying to survive. He took Boots’ back all over the ring, humiliating him in front of his 10,000+ Philly fans at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and those watching at home.
Ennis is not motivated to fight hard
“One thing is, ‘I already fought the guy, I beat the guy already. I’m not really interested,” trainer Greg Hackett said FighthypeExplaining why Jaron ‘Boot’ Ennis had trouble in his rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian on Saturday night.
Ennis looked motivated, but he was facing a man with more talent than him and, surprisingly, more power. Chukhadzhian looked like the harder puncher of the two and of course had the faster hand speed.
“At the same time, it’s mandatory. It’s like, ‘I beat him. I’m not interested, but I’m going to prepare; I’m going to train. I’m going to fight him,'” said Hackett, continuing with the excuses for the poor performance by Ennis. “Karen is very clever. We were on her (backside) on the run. So this time, she brought the hold with the shot.”
Chukhadzhian did a lot of holding in the second half of the fight when he got tired, and because of that he lost. If he hadn’t held back so much, he would have won for sure, because he got hold of Boots.
“It got under Boots’ skin. It irritated him a lot,” Hackett said. “He was frustrated. I can understand that he’s got great legs, elite legs. He’s a boxer, man. (Things) like this are going to happen. Boots clearly won the fight, but he’s, like, ‘I already beat the guy.” I don’t want to fight again. I want the big names.”
Boots was in a state of spite by the fourth round. He stopped talking to the audience and smiled during the clinches. In the second half, he looked to his corner for help, he didn’t know what to do and needed to be told. His confidence had seeped out of him like a leaky faucet.
Chukhadzhian fought to survive
“He did what he could,” Hackett said of Chukhadzhian. “Karen does not sit in places to be stopped. He felt the power and went down in the fifth. “Okay, I will not do more. We are no longer hit with that (stuff).” So what, he did what he could to survive.
“I can’t be mad at him. That man’s got a family. He’s gone home to his parents. Boots, you can’t judge by that fight because it’s one of those things. “I’ve already done it,” Hackett said. .
Hackett apologizes for Boots, carrying his waterto support his image because he is 100% wrong about why he fought against Chukhadzhian.
Claims that Chukhadzhian was in survival mode by the fifth round are incorrect because he landed big shots on Boots in rounds six through twelve. Chukhadzhian looked like he took the 11th and 12th rounds after being penalized for holding on for 10 rounds.
