Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be afforded an optional defense as steps have been taken to determine his next mandatory challenger.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the IBF has ordered a welterweight title eliminator between Karen Chukhadzhian and Harry Scarff. The pair of fringe contenders were sent invitation letters for a bout to determine the number-one contender for Philadelphia’s Ennis.
International Boxing News reported that Scarff has already accepted the invitation and is prepared to immediately enter talks for the intriguing matchup.
The assigned bout is of interest, given how far down the IBF had to go down in its rankings. Ukraine’s Chukhadzhian (23-1, 13KOs) is currently number-seven at welterweight according to the IBF’s most updated rankings, while England’s Scarff (13-2, 3KOs) is ranked at number-nine. The number-one and number-two positions are listed as “vacant”, a common practice by the IBF which requires that a contender wins an elimination bout for either of those slots.
Chukhadzhian came up well short in his interim IBF welterweight bid versus Ennis, but proved an awkward style even in a shutout points loss last January 6 in Washington, D.C. Two knockout wins have followed, including a ninth-round stoppage of Pietro Rossetti last November in Munich, Germany.
Scarff punched his way into contention with an upset win over previously unbeaten and prominently ranked Ekow Essuman. The battle of UK-based welterweights saw Derby’s Scarff claim a well-earned unanimous decision in their twelve-round, multi-belt regional title fight last November 18 in Manchester, England. Essuman was in position to advance in the IBF rankings, an opportunity seized by Scarff, a 30-year-old southpaw who has won five in a row.
The ordered mandatory will allow Ennis (31-0, 28KOs) to seek out any ranked contender of his choosing for his next outing. The 26-year-old can’t-miss rising star was upgraded from interim to full titlist last fall when Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31KOs) was stripped for failure to honor their ordered title consolidation bout.
Ennis last fought in a ninth-round knockout of Roiman Villa last July 8 in Atlantic City, an hour from his Philly home base. He does not currently have a fight scheduled, though has frequently teased through social media of a forthcoming opportunity.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox