Karen Chukhadzhian’s Title Defense Confirmed For October 11th In Latvia

Karen Chukhadzhian will be fighting on October 11th, defending his IBF and WBO International welterweight titles against a still-to-be-determined opponent at the KOK Dreamboxing event in Riga, Latvia.

It’s the second fight for Chukhadzhian (25-3, 13 KOs) since losing a competitive 12-round unanimous decision to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis last year on November 9th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Chukhadzhian, 29, gave what many boxing fans felt was ‘Boots’ Ennis’ toughest career test, out-punching and outboxing him in a losing effort. The judges gave it to the hometown fighter, Ennis, by the scores of 119-107, 117-109, and 116-110. He put in more effort against Karen in the championship rounds from 10 through 12.

Chukhadzhian’s Evolving Fight Style

Karen transformed his fighting style for the rematch with Ennis, going from being a survival-oriented and a clincher to that of a slugger. He stood and fought ‘Boots’ in a toe-to-toe style, making the Philadelphia native pay for the shots he landed. Ennis appeared visibly frustrated at the success of Chukhadzhian, as he didn’t expect this type of fight from him.

The punches that Karen landed frequently whiplashed Ennis’ head, causing him to fight harder, and leaving himself open to being nailed by Chukhadzhian. At the end of the fight, Tom Gray of Sporting News noted how Ennis appeared “Deflated.”

Ennis remarked on his performance, “I think my performance was OK, but it might be time to go to 154.”

Chukhadzhian showed a different side of his game in the fight. He punched with power at close and mid-range. On the outside, he frequently connected with single punches to the head of Ennis.

The Kyiv, Ukraine native Chukhadzhian has since rebounded from his loss to Ennis by defeating Cristian Javier Ayala by a 10-round unanimous decision earlier this year on May 10th at the Stadthalle, Rostock, Germany. The scores were 99-91, 99-92, and 99-91.

Welterweight Rankings and Future

Chukhadzhian is ranked #4 WBO, #6 IBF, and #14 WBC at welterweight. He’s still ranked high despite the two defeats against Ennis.

Boxing insider Boog Williams broke the news of Karen Chukhadzhian fighting on October 11th.