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

Over the past six days Eddie Hearn has not tired in heralding Jaron Ennis as the heir to Terence Crawford’s vacated welterweight throne. And tonight, unleashed on home territory in Philadelphia for the very first time, he proved exactly why.

Ennis, or ‘Boots’ as he is more affectionally known in boxing circles, quickly took apart seasoned Russian challenger David Avanesyan to break his challenger’s jaw and force the stoppage after five rounds to successfully retain his IBF title at the first time of asking.

Avanesyan, 35, started positively in the young lion’s den, but as the bout moved on it soon became apparent that he was no match for Philly’s 27-year-old sensation, who brought thousands of fans out for an evening to remember at Wells Fargo Center – the home of the city’s NBA and NHL teams – on Saturday night.

It took him a few rounds to get going, with the visitor enjoying success at times when he dragged the fight up close, but it wasn’t long before Ennis clicked his heels together and began working his magic.

Ennis, who has been labeled the next Terence Crawford by many in the sport, put on a show in front of his home Philadelphia fans

As early as the opening round he had his opponent on the deck, albeit from a body shot which was rightly deemed a low blow. Avanesyan, entitled to as long as five minutes to recover if required, needed a couple of them before the battle resumed.

After a competitive second, the champion shipped a heavy shot at the start of the third, only to respond by turning on the style and firing out a blistering set of combinations which took the wind out of Avanesyan.

In the fifth Ennis was again rocked ever so slightly, this time by a couple of well-timed Avanesyan uppercuts, yet that brief moment of weakness almost seemed to spur him on towards the brutal attack which followed.

As his opponent pressed and pressed in a bid to make things messy on the inside, Boots sent him tumbling to the canvas with a thunderous left hook which all but sealed this victory for him. For the remainder of the round and the fight Avanesyan had to try his best to weather the storm, but boy what a storm it was as Ennis left him reeling with some chopping blows to both head and body.

After taking a beating at the close of the fifth, the ringside doctor advised the referee that enough was enough for Avanesyan, who appeared to be suffering with a broken jaw following that vicious onslaught.

The fight was waved off to confirm the hometown hero had retained his championship, much to the delight of his adoring audience.

In Crawford, who conquered the 146lbs landscape before moving on up to super welterweight, there aren’t many bigger acts for Ennis to follow in this division as he looks to carve out a glittering career of his own.

Yet this straightforward night at the office shows that if anyone is capable of filling those big shoes, it’s Boots.