PHILADELPHIA, PA — It seems as if this was a birthright for Jaron “Boots” Ennis. He had always dreamed of fighting before a big crowd in his hometown of Philadelphia. When he signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom in April, getting that chance was part of the multi-fight deal.

On Saturday, it is happening.

Ennis,The Ring’s No. 2 welterweight contender, will be making his first defense of the IBF 147-pound title against late-replacement David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 knockouts) this Saturday night on DAZN. The real story is how the fight sells. Hearn is expecting 14,000 to show up at Philadelphia’s 21,000-seat Wells Fargo Center, the home of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Flyers.

Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will be fighting for the first time in over a year. He last fought July 8, 2023, whenhe stopped Roiman Villaat 1:27 of the 10th round. Since then, he has been awarded the IBF title when Terence “Bud” Crawford vacated. This has added some incentive for the 27-year-old Philadelphian.

“That is not how I wanted to win a world championship belt,” Boots told The Ring. “I wanted to earn it in the ring. I wanted to doubts. The other side of that is I have been waiting for Crawford and (Errol) Spence, and Eimantas Stanionis, and Cody Crowley, and any other rates fighter out there. None of them wanted to fight me. So, when I was told I would be getting the IBF belt, I wasn’t going to say ‘no.’  I know what I worked for it and deserve it.

“It’s just not the way I wanted a title belt around my waist. Now, I get to defend a title and everyone will be coming after me. I’m ready. I can’t wait. I will have my fun Saturday night. I will be at home on the couch with my feet up.”

Avanesyan was a late replacement for original IBF mandatory challenger Cody Crowley, who was pulled from the fight after failing a pre-fight eye exam.

The undercard will also feature the10-round WBC featherweight title fightbetween Skye Nicolson (10-0, 1 KO) and challenger Dyana Vargas (19-1, 12 KOs), andthe co-featurewill pit 21-year-old undefeated welterweight prospect Jalil Major Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs) against Peter Dobson (16-1, 9 KOs).

“I know what is going to happen, it won’t get past four rounds, maybe five rounds, I don’t know,” said Derek “Bozy” Ennis, Boots’ father, trainer and manager. “It all depends on how Boots feels. We are having fun when we box. We have fun doing what we do. It’s a proud moment and a great opportunity to fight here. We appreciate everything (Matchroom) has done for us. You will see a beautiful show on Saturday night. Every time we come out it is a special moment. No one took us to another level.”

Here are the weights:

Jaron Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), 146.4 pounds vs. David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 knockouts), 147 pounds

Jalil Major Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs), 146.6 pounds vs. Peter Dobson (16-1, 9 KOs), 146.4 pounds

Skye Nicolson (10-0, 1 KO), 125.6 pounds vs. Dyana Vargas (18-1, 12 KOs), 125.6 pounds

Khalil Coe (8-0-1, 6 KOs), 174 pounds vs. Kwame Ritter (11-1, 9 KOs), 173 pounds

Christopher Diaz (28-4, 18 KOs), 131.4 pounds vs. Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo (12-1-1, 10 KOs), 131.4 pounds

Christian Carto (22-1, 15 KOs), 124.4 pounds vs. Carlos Buitrago (38-13-1, 22 KOs), 125.8 pounds

Ismail Muhammad (4-0, 3 KOs), 144 pounds vs. Frank Brown (3-4-2, 1 KO), 144.2 pounds

Dennis Thompson (Pro debut), 116.6 pounds vs. Fernando Joaquin Valdez (1-7), 119.2 pounds