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Two world title fights top the bill as Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez feature in back-to-back fights from Philadelphia on Saturday.

Ennis will defend his IBF welterweight title in a rematch against the IBF’s No. 1 contender, Karen Chukhazhian, whom he defeated in a one-sided unanimous decision in 2023. The chief support to that bout is Rodriguez’s first defense of his WBC junior bantamweight title against veteran Pedro Guevara.

“’Bam’ and I can go as far as we want to take it,” Ennis said. “I think I can go up to 168 pounds, ‘Bam,’ he’s already been going up and down from 112 to 118, so he can go to 126 and do his thing there to. We’re going to take this as far as we want, we just have to stay focused and keep doing our thing.”

Check below for live updates throughout Ennis and Rodriguez’s world title fight double header.

  • In progress: Jesse Rodriguez (20-0) vs. Pedro Guevara (42-4-1); WBC junior bantamweight title
  • Raymond Ford def. Orlando Gonzalez by unanimous decision
  • Manuel Gallegos def. Khalil Coe by TKO in Round 9
  • Austin Williams def. Gian Garrido by TKO in Round 5

Round 1 is underway.

Raymond Ford made his junior lightweight debut and cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Orlando Gonzalez.

Ford scored two knockdowns in the bout; in the second round he landed a right hook clean to the chin of Gonzalez, who opened the fight stepping to Ford on the front foot. Ford grew more aggressive and began to bring the fight to Gonzalez as the bout progressed.

In the eighth round Ford once again connected a right hand clean to Gonzalez’s chin, sending him to the canvas for a second time. In the final two rounds, with Gonzalez firmly down on the cards, he opted to survive the remaining rounds and resorted to running around the ring, never allowing Ford to get set and throw.

Ford improves to 16-1-1 while Gonzalez falls to 23-3.

Final round of the fight and Gonzalez looks to be in survival mode, once again running around the ring despite the fact that Ford is certainly winning on the cards. Ford lands a strong left hand and at the center of the ring urges Gonzalez to throw some punches in response. Gonzalez drawing boos from the crowd for remaining on his bike; Ford should win a comfortable decision on the cards.

Ford stepping on the gas pedal to start the round, looking to secure a stoppage. Gonzalez running around the ring trying to avoid the pressure. Gonzalez has his feet under him, but isn’t returning any fire, instead looking to survive. Ford wasn’t able to slow Gonzalez enough to land anything significant, but will win the round given Gonzalez’s lack of offense.

Gonzalez staying in the pocket and mixing it up with Ford, but Ford showing solid defense to avoid his best shots. Ford back to using his jab to try and set up his right hand, looking comfortable under pressure. Ford lands another right hook square on Gonzalez’s nose late in the round and knocks him down again! Gonzalez looks shaken up but survives the final seconds of the round.

Ford cracks Gonzalez with another big right hook that lands clean. Gonzalez took it well overall, but looks in danger with over a minute remaining. Gonzalez has shown a good chin this fight, taking some strong shots and still returning fire, but the damage may catch up to him in the later rounds.

In the opening seconds of the round Ford throws a right hook that hit the guard of Gonzalez but still looked to shake him. Gonzalez answers with aggression, but Ford does well to avoid his best shots. Ford has landed some real strong punches to the body of Gonzalez this round, finding success on the counter.

Gonzalez taking the fight to Ford a bit more to open the round, landing a few solid body shots. Gonzalez looks to have regained some confidence, landing frequently on the front foot while Ford looks to stay defensively solid. None of the punches are damaging Ford, but Gonzalez’s connects will earn him points on the cards.

Gallegos mixing it up on the inside periodically, but he’s primarily using his legs to stay out of danger. Ford is holding the center of the ring and throwing plenty of jabs, looking to create an opening for a big shot with the right hand.

Gonzalez looks to have fully regained his legs since the knockdown, moving around the ring as Ford walks him down. Gallegos stepping inside for quick flurries, but his connects aren’t doing any damage on Ford. Ford controlled the pace of the round and landed some solid shots on the front foot.

Ford beginning to step to Gonzalez and lands a nice straight left hand early on, with Gonzalez backed against the ropes. Midway through the round Ford lands a massive right hook clean to the chin of Gonzalez and sends him to the canvas! Gonzalez beats the count but looked dazed on the ground after that shot. Ford not able to finish Gonzalez in the last half of the round, but he certainly has his opponent hurt.

Ford makes his junior lightweight debut in this one, after suffering his first career defeat to Nick Ball in a June featherweight title fight. Gonzaez applying the pressure as the round opens, with Ford working behind the jab on the back foot. Ford landed a few solid left hands set up by the southpaw jab and should take the round.

Manuel Gallegos (21-2-1) scored an upset victory over previously unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Khalil Coe (9-1-1), stopping him in the opening seconds of the ninth round.

Coe entered the fight as a heavy favorite, with Gallegos coming off a loss over a year ago to rising super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco, but Gallegos quickly proved he’d be a stiff test. Gallegos applied the pressure and targeted the body of Coe, who switched between boxing behind the jab and trading at close range.

At close range is where Gallegos found success, knocking Coe down with a body shot in Round 5, and twice more in Rounds 7 and 8. Coe’s corner considered stopping the fight after the eighth, but allowed him one more round to turn the tide. Seconds into the ninth round Gallegos dropped Coe with a left hook and the referee stopped the bout.

As Coe heads to the corner after Round 8 his trainer tells him he wants to stop the fight, but in the end his trainer and the referee agree to give Coe one more round to show something. Within seconds of the round beginning Gallegos drops Coe with a left hook and the referee calls the fight. Gallegos pulls the upset and hands Coe his first career loss!

In the first thirty seconds of the round Coe is knocked down again, as Gallegos lands a strong body shot with Coe backed against the ropes! Gallegos will now have over two minutes to try and score the stoppage. Coe moving around the ring but still doesn’t seem to have his feet fully under him, as he’s tying up repeatedly. Coe survives the round once again but this doesn’t look likely to last much longer.

Round opens with both fighters trading strong shots at close range and Coe lands the best shot of the exchange with a big right hand. Coe’s best shots haven’t slowed down Gallegos so far though. Gallegos catches Coe with a glancing hook which knocks Coe off balance and Gallegos jumps on him and knocks him down for the second time! Coe survives the round but he’s falling behind on the cards and looks shaken.

Coe boxing and moving to start the round, not allowing Gallegos to get inside. Coe being sure to keep his body protected after taking lots of damage down low through the first five. Slower round as Coe kept his feet moving, Gallegos’ aggression may earn him the round.

Coe still looks to be recovering from the damage he took last round, as Gallegos continues on the front foot. Midway through the round Gallegos lands a mean left-handed body shot on Coe and drops him! Coe beats the count but there’s a long time left in the round. Coe now gets Gallegos on the ropes and is unloading big punches, connecting on a few strong shots to regain momentum. Gallegos will take the round with the knockdown, but Coe responded well afterwards.

Gallegos is applying the pressure and digging down to Coe’s body, but Coe is moving and counterpunching well. Gallegos lands a big uppercut on Coe and seems to stun him. Coe looks dazed as Gallegos piles on the pressure, but so far he’s surviving with 45 seconds remaining. Gallegos landed some strong shots as he went for the finish, but Coe was able to shake it off and survive the round.

Coe establishing more distance this round, as he did in the first. Midway through the round and Coe reverts to standing and trading with Gallegos, with both fighters digging down to the body successfully. A body shot is what KO’d Gallegos in his last fight, something Coe certainly noted.

Gallegos is targeting the body of Coe once he steps into range, landing some solid punches. Coe staying responsible defensively under fire at close range, landing a sharp uppercut on the counter, but Gallegos takes it in stride and continues firing. Close round with Coe and Gallegos trading shots throughout and each having moments.

Coe scored a second round TKO on the undercard of “Boots” Ennis’ last fight in July, while Gallegos is coming off of a TKO defeat to Diego Pacheco. Gallegos on the front foot to start, but Coe looks comfortable under pressure, landing the jab almost at will both up top and to the body.

Jaron Ennis vs Chukhadzhian, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs Guevara fight times, date, ring walks

Matchroom Boxing’s fight card featuring Jaron Ennis and Jesse Rodriguez kicks off on DAZN on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT), with Rodriguez and his opponent expected to make their ring walks at approximately 9 p.m. (CT). The main event ring walks are expected at approximately 10 p.m. (CT).

  • Fight card start: 6 p.m. CT
  • Rodriguez vs. Guevara ring walks: approx. 9 p.m. CT
  • Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian ring walks: approx. 10 p.m. CT

Watch Jaron Ennis, “Bam” Rodriguez fights on DAZN

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How to watch Jaron Ennis vs Chukhadzhian, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs Guevara fight card?

Matchroom Boxing’s fight card, featuring title defenses from both Jaron Ennis and Jesse Rodriguez, will stream live on DAZN, at no additional cost to subscribers.

How to watch: DAZN

Jaron Ennis, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez fight undercard

Matchroom Boxing’s fight card is topped by two world title fights, but the undercard sees former world champion Ray Ford return to action, along with a handful of rising prospects.

  • Jaron Ennis (32-0) vs. Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2); IBF welterweight title
  • Jesse Rodriguez (20-0) vs. Pedro Guevara (42-4-1); WBC junior bantamweight title
  • Raymond Ford (15-1-1) vs. Orlando Gonzalez (23-2)
  • Khalil Coe (9-0-1) vs. Manuel Gallegos (20-2-1)
  • Austin Williams (16-1) vs. Gian Garrido (11-1)

Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian fight odds

After his dominance in the first fight, Ennis enters the rematch as a -4000 favorite to win, while Chukhadzhian is +1500 to pull the upset. The over/under is set at 7.5 rounds.

  • Ennis by KO/TKO: -550
  • Ennis by decision: +380
  • Chukhadzhian by KO/TKO: +2500
  • Chukhadzhian by decision: +3500

Odds via DraftKings, as of Nov. 8

‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs Pedro Guevara fight odds

Coming off perhaps the best win of his career, Rodriguez enters the fight as a -1800 favorite to win, while Guevara is a +1000 underdog. The over/under is set at 9.5 rounds.

  • Rodriguez by KO/TKO: -750
  • Rodriguez by decision: +275
  • Guevara by KO/TKO: +1800
  • Guevara by decision: +2200

Odds via DraftKings, as of Nov. 8

Jaron Ennis, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez fight card predictions

For Ennis, Saturday’s fight is more a matter of when, than if. Ennis won every single round on all three judge’s scorecards in the first matchup and he’s been nothing but impressive since then.

It’s nonsensical that the IBF mandated Ennis to once again fight Chukhadzhian, but he’ll have a chance to show his improvement since January 2023’s bout by scoring a knockout in the rematch, which is probably the safest bet of the night.

Rodriguez will likely have similar success in his world title defense, although Guevara is a far more credentialed opponent than Chukhadzhian. Still, Guevara is far past his prime, while “Bam” is just entering his. Rodriguez should control the pace of the fight, turning up the heat in the later rounds and connecting on a bomb that ends the fight.

Predictions: Ennis def. Chukhadzhian by KO-5; Rodriguez def. Guevara by KO-9; Raymond Ford def. Orlando Gonzalez by UD; Khalil Coe def. Manuel Gallegos by TKO-6

Where is the Jaron Ennis vs Chukhadzhian, ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs Guevara fight location?

Jaron Ennis and Jesse Rodriguez’s double header takes place in Ennis’ hometown of Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers and Flyers. This will be Ennis’ second straight fight in the Wells Fargo Center.

  • Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

Jaron Ennis fight record

Jaron Ennis is 32-0 with 29 wins by knockout.

Ennis became the IBF’s interim welterweight champion when he defeated Chukhadzhian for the first time in January 2023. He defended the interim title once before being elevated to full champion in 2023, following former undisputed champion Terence Crawford’s departure from the division.

Ennis is ranked No. 1 at welterweight by The Ring and ESPN.

Karen Chukhadzhian fight record

Ennis’ opponent Karen Chukhadzhian is 24-2 with 13 wins by knockout.

Chukhadzhian’s lone title challenge came against Ennis in January 2023 when he was defeated by a convincing unanimous decision. He went on to win three fights which established him as the IBF’s No. 1 challenger.

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez fight record

Jesse Rodriguez is 20-0 with 13 wins by knockout.

Rodriguez is a two-division world champion, having been unified champion at flyweight along with two stints as a junior bantamweight champion. Rodriguez most recently won the WBC junior bantamweight title for a second time, defeating future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada by seventh round knockout in June.

Rodriguez is ranked No. 1 at junior bantamweight by The Ring and ESPN.

Pedro Guevara fight record

Rodriguez’s opponent Pedro Guevara is 42-4-1 with 22 wins by knockout.

Guevara is a former world champion and a veteran of the smaller weight classes, having turned professional in 2008. Guevara most recently fought in May, defeating former world title challenger Andrew Maloney by split decision to win the interim WBC title.

Guevara is ranked No. 8 at junior bantamweight by both The Ring and ESPN.

Jaron Ennis age, height, weight class

Jaron Ennis is 27 years old and stands at 5-foot-10 with a 74-inch reach.

Ennis is a career long welterweight (147-pound limit) having fought in and around the division since his debut in 2016.

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez age, height, weight class

Rodriguez is 24 years old and stands at 5-foot-4 with a 67-inch reach.

Rodriguez began his career fighting in and around the junior flyweight division (108-pound limit), before moving up to junior bantamweight (115-pound limit) in 2022. In 2023 he moved down to flyweight (112-pound limit) for two fights before moving back to junior bantamweight earlier this year.

Jaron Ennis stats

Ennis’ has been dominant in recent years, leading to boxing’s seventh-best plus/minus of +14.8. Statistically he’s the seventh most accurate puncher in boxing, landing 35.9% of his punches, while his power punch connect percentage of 47.5% is third best in the sport.

While his offense shines, Ennis is quite responsible defensively as well. His opponents average just 7.7 landed punches against him a round, while they land just 24.1% of power punches on Ennis.

Stats via Compubox

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez stats

Statistically “Bam” Rodriguez is one of the best fighters in boxing. His plus/minus of +18.7 is second best in the sport, while his total punch connect percentage of 39.7% is the best in boxing.

Rodriguez also has the highest power punch connect percentage in boxing with 49.1%, while his 23.4 landed punches per round is seventh best in the sport.

Stats via Compubox

How Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis got his nickname?

Similar to his partner on Saturday’s card, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is almost as well known by his nickname as he is by his legal name.

But how did the ‘Boots’ nickname come about? In a 2020 interview with Fansided, Ennis revealed the origins of his nickname.

“My original nickname was supposed to be ‘Boops,’” Ennis told Fansided. “I got that from my mom. Once I started going to the gym when I was little, my dad was calling my name, and everybody thought my dad was saying ‘Boots,’ like the shoes. So we just kept it and stuck with it.”

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Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.

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