Jaron Ennis flexes his muscles as Terence Crawford’s welterweight successor as America’s next big star stops David Avanesyan after five rounds to retain IBF title

For the past six days, Eddie Hearn has tirelessly heralded Jaron Ennis as the heir to Terence Crawford’s vacant welterweight throne. And tonight, unleashed on home turf for the first time in Philadelphia, he proved exactly why.

Ennis, or ‘Boots’ as he is affectionately known in boxing circles, slowly took apart David Avanesyan and stopped his seasoned challenger after five rounds, successfully defending his IBF title on the first attempt.

The 35-year-old Avanesyan started the match on a positive note against a young lion in his own den, but as the game progressed it quickly became clear that he was no match for the 27-year-old Philly sensation, who brought out thousands of fans for an evening at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the city’s NBA and NHL teams, on Saturday night.

It took him a while to get going, with the challenger having some success in dragging the fight into a close one, but from the third round onwards Ennis clicked his heels together and began to work his magic.

Ennis, who is seen by many in the sport as the next Terence Crawford, put on a show for his home fans in Philadelphia

In the fifth round he was hit with a couple of well-timed uppercuts from Avanesyan, but that brief moment of weakness almost seemed to spur him on to the brutal onslaught that followed.

As his opponent continued to press to make things messy from the inside, Boots dropped him to the canvas with a thundering left hook that nearly sealed the victory for him. For the rest of the round and the fight, Avanesyan had to do his best to weather the storm, but boy was it a storm as Ennis staggered him with a series of chopping blows to both head and body.

After taking another beating late in the fifth inning, the ringside doctor told the referee it was enough for Avanesyan. He appeared to be suffering from a broken jaw as a result of the violent attack.

The fight was called off, confirming that the local hero had retained his championship, much to the delight of his adoring crowd.

With Crawford having conquered the 146lbs class before moving up to super welterweight, there aren’t many bigger names for Ennis to emulate in the division as he looks to build a glittering career of his own.

But this casual evening at the office shows that if anyone can step into those big shoes, it’s Boots.