Karen Chukhadzhian vs. Harry Scarff - 17 May 2024

[Ruthless-RKO]

Karen Chukhadzhian-Harry Scarff: IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator Scheduled For Feb. 15 Purse Bid Hearing

A purse bid hearing will determine promotional rights for a title eliminator.

Boxing Scene has the IBF-ordered Karen Chukhadzhian-Harry Scarff welterweight bout is headed to a purse bid. The session is scheduled to take place this Thursday, conducted via Zoom from IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey.

Participating promoters are required to be registered with the IBF. The winning bid must be accompanied by a ten-percent deposit, with another ten-percent along with signed agreements provided to the IBF no later than five business days after the hearing to validate the session.

The winner of the ordered fight will become the mandatory challenger to current IBF welterweight titlist Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who is afforded a voluntary defense in the interim. As Boxing Scene previously reported, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) recently filed a three-count complaint against estranged promoter NOW Boxing in an effort to invalidate his contract, but is still believed to return to the ring in May.

The inability to find willing contenders to face Ennis—mandated or otherwise—is reflected in the process to order a final elimination bout. Ukraine’s

Chukhadzhian (23-1, 13 KOs) is currently number-seven at welterweight according to the IBF's most updated rankings, while England’s Scarff (13-2, 3 KOs) 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 to seek out any ranked contender of his choosing for his next outing or another titlist. The 26-year-old can’t-miss rising star was upgraded from interim to full titlist last fall when Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) 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.

[SeanBrennan]

Scarff has been managed/promoted well to get an eliminator, he's only had 15 fights and only 5 of those wins were against people have winning records and one of those was 1 and 0

[cpx2]

Scarff has been managed/promoted well to get an eliminator, he's only had 15 fights and only 5 of those wins were against people have winning records and one of those was 1 and 0

Think it was off the back of Essuman's high ranking with the IBF - I remember he was ordered to fight Crowley in an eliminator so he must've been pretty high.

[SeanBrennan]

Scarff has been managed/promoted well to get an eliminator, he's only had 15 fights and only 5 of those wins were against people have winning records and one of those was 1 and 0

Think it was off the back of Essuman's high ranking with the IBF - I remember he was ordered to fight Crowley in an eliminator so he must've been pretty high.

ah gotcha thanks

[WBS]

Attended Essuman vs Scarff's 147 showdown. Scarff was commanding throughout to take the British, Commonwealth and IBF European. He's earned his spot now. His only real loss was by UD vs Anthony Fowler who was really Middle to 154 and dropped Scarff in the 9th. Scarff's loss to Troy Williamson was a sham decision. Scarff won beyond doubt yet Willaimson got the nod. See Scarff winning by UD in a close contest.

[SeanBrennan]

toughest Karen ever.

[Coco]

I missed he beat Ekow, from that an eliminator is deserving

[Ruthless-RKO]

Wasserman Boxing ($141,305) Wins Purse Bid

[Coco]

Wasserman Boxing ($141,305) Wins Purse Bid

Nice payday $70k each minus expenses

[Ruthless-RKO]

Harry Scarff, Karen Chukhadzhian to Collide in Hamburg for Title Opportunity

British, Commonwealth and IBF Europe welterweight champion, Harry Scarff, 13-2 (3 KOs) and IBF No. 9 will meet Karen Chukhadzhian, 23-2 (13 KOs) and IBF No. 7, on May 17 at the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg, Germany on a P2M promotion.

Both the No. 1 and No.2 spots are currently vacant in the IBF ratings. Scarff vs Chukhadzhian is billed as a final eliminator for the title held by Philadelphia hotshot Jaron Ennis.

German (BDB version) heavyweight champ Viktor Jurk, 7-0 (6 KOs), and super middleweight Simon Zachenhuber, 23-0 (14 KOs), are featured on the undercard.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date confirmed

[KiwiRider]

I missed he beat Ekow, from that an eliminator is deserving

I missed that one too. Going to find it later.

[KiwiRider]

Be a good fight to watch.

It is a little sad they had to go this far down the rankings to find two guys who want to challenge, and probably the main reason is they both aren't having to protect an unbeaten record.

[SeanBrennan]

I confess my ignorance, don't know about these 2, going to read up on them. Anyone know much about them?

[olij999]

Scarff has been managed/promoted well to get an eliminator, he's only had 15 fights and only 5 of those wins were against people have winning records and one of those was 1 and 0

Think it was off the back of Essuman's high ranking with the IBF - I remember he was ordered to fight Crowley in an eliminator so he must've been pretty high.

I am sure you are right, but it does irritate me when ranking bodies give someone's high ranking to whoever beats them without a bit of consideration of their wider record - it's boxing, not conkers.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

‘Horrible’ Harry Scarff Ready to Rise to Occasion Against Karen Chukhadzhian

For a few short weeks, it looked like Harry Scarff had finally become a major beneficiary of the boxing business that has kept him on the outskirts for so long.

Last November, Scarff did his part by beating Ekow Essuman to win the British and Commonwealth welterweight titles and earn himself a high ranking with the IBF.

Then, the sanctioning body rewarded his efforts by ordering a world title final eliminator between Scarff and Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian.

When Scarff’s promoter, Wasserman, won the purse bids to stage the fight, it seemed like the stars had finally aligned at the perfect time for the 30-year-old from Derby, England.

It wasn’t to be. Boxing politics mean that if Scarff is to earn the right to fight Jaron Ennis for his IBF title, he will need to beat Chukhadzhian in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday first.

The disappointment quickly passed.

Scarff has been in the away corner for all of his big fights, and although he would have liked to walk out in a familiar arena filled with recognizable faces on the most crucial night of his career, none of that matters now.

The most important part of the deal is still in place, and Scarff (13-2, 3 KOs) has the fight that he has always dreamt of.

“The purse bids were won by Wasserman, and we were looking forward to it taking place locally,” Scarff told BS. “It hasn’t worked out like that. I think they were struggling for a date and a venue to match up with the TV dates, and their side was pushing and pushing and appealed to the IBF, and it went from there. I’m just happy to get it sorted at this stage. I’ve kept my head down, kept training and I’m just ready to go now.

“It seems to be the Harry Scarff way doesn’t it? I can’t wait for this one, though. I’ll take this opportunity.”

Scarff’s ‘Horrible Harry’ nickname is one of the sport’s more eye-catching ring monikers, but although it suited him down to the ground during the early part of his career, these days it does a disservice to his boxing ability. The technicalities of Scarff’s game are hidden inside the type of angular frame that makes it look like every collision of bone on bone hurts. Scarff isn’t a dirty fighter, but should the situation demand it, he is more than capable of grinding out an ugly, hard win.

An inexperienced Scarff suffered a couple of early-career defeats to Anthony Fowler and Troy Williamson during his time as a junior middleweight, but since dropping down to 147 pounds two years ago, he has been excellent. A virtual shutout over Louis Greene looks even better considering the way Greene has been competing at junior middleweight recently, and his title-winning decision over Essuman last November was a textbook demonstration in how to tame, negate and then dominate an unbeaten, all-action champion.

Despite having to travel to Germany, Scarff is going to rely on his ability to adapt to the challenge in front of him rather than adopting a more aggressive approach in an attempt to impress the judges.

“I’m just gonna be me. I think that’s the best way to be,” he said. “It’s the way I’ve always approached big fights, and in general, that’s the way I like to be. I like to have a look at you and then really get hold of them and drag them into deep waters where they don’t want to be. I’m big, fit and strong at this weight. I’ve got an awkward style, I can fight both ways. It’s a hard night for anyone.

“It makes it hard for people to prepare for. I’ve got multiple strings to my bow and I feel like I can work things out and deal with it as I need to.”

Chukhadzhian is known to boxing fans for going the distance with the outstanding Ennis in a previous mandatory challenge for the IBF title. Chukhadzhian, 28, was resilient, but he caused Ennis few issues and went down in a landslide points defeat last January.

Scarff is expecting a different version of Chukhadzhian on Friday night. The Ukrainian Chukhadzhian will clearly hold him in much lower regard than Ennis, and with such a big prize on offer, he seems sure to box an entirely different type of fight.

Scarff has examined Chukhadzhian’s style and CV, and hasn’t unearthed anything that has caused him to have sleepless nights in the build-up. In fact, it could be argued that his victory over Essuman trumps any of the 23 welterweight wins on the Ukrainian’s record.

“I don’t recognize anyone other than Ennis, to be honest. I’ve boxed good names in the past. I’ve got no problems with this fight at all,” he said.

“In the Ennis fight, he was on the back foot a lot. He ran around a lot that night looking to pick and poke a bit. In other fights that we’ve seen, he sets his feet a bit more. He still likes to work with angles, and he’s got fast feet and fast hands. I feel like I’ll push him onto the back foot and he’ll feel my size and strength. After that, I think I’ll just take control of the bout really. In boxing, I think if you win the exchanges, that’s a good place to start.”

The way fighters are promoted and built these days means that lots reach world level without encountering an opponent who possesses a similar level of skill and determination as them. Scarff’s journey has been different.

His 15 professional fights have been spread out over seven years, and he has developed the type of win-at-all-costs mentality that comes with being an unfashionable opponent with a couple of losses on his record.

Scarff’s mental strength can’t be questioned, and he believes that the fight with Essuman proved that he also has the ability to thrive at the highest level.

“I was quite happy with the Ekow fight,” he said. “I like how I started quite aggressively, then I got into my boxing, then he had a bit of a push and I was able to finish aggressively in the championship rounds. So I was happy with that. I think about doing that and showing multiple aspects to my game. I’ll look to do something similar.

“I think beforehand, Ekow had an IBF final eliminator rumored – albeit against a different opponent – but he was at that level. I’m more than confident that I can rise to the occasion here and take that number one spot at welterweight.”

[margaret thatcher]

karen won a ud, 116-112x3, and is now the ibf mando for ennis

karen vs boots 2, the rematch we all want