ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – It wasn’t exactly easy for Jaron Ennis to get up for a rematch against an opponent he had already shut out on all three scorecards.

Ennis’ options were either to fight Karen Chukhadzhian again or risk the IBF stripping him of its welterweight title. There was not a reasonable justification for the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization ordering Ennis to fight the Ukrainian contender a second time.

Chukhadzhian defeated three nondescript, non-rated opponents between his lopsided points losses to Ennis. According to the IBF, that somehow moved Chukhadzhian back into position for a second title shot in 22 months.

The IBF’s inexplicable movement of Chukhadzhian back up to the No. 1 spot in its rankings left Ennis in the unenviable position of fighting an opponent he had already dominated a second time. That dubious decision left Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, to sell a virtually unmarketable main event to his hometown fans in Philadelphia.

More than 10,000 of them still assembled November 9 at Wells Fargo Center, home to the NBA’s Sixers and NHL’s Flyers. Ennis did his best to entertain them, though even Ennis acknowledged his second victory over Chukhadzhian wasn’t his most noteworthy work.

“At the end of the day, it is what it is,” Ennis told The Ring. “I had to do what I had to do to get to where I’m at now. So, I had to fight my mandatory. There was nothing I could do about it. I tried to, you know, get the other champions in the ring, to get around it. But there was nothing I could do. So, I just fought my mandatory, got the win and that was about it.”

Judges Dave Braslow (119-107), Eric Marlinski (117-109) and Steve Weisfeld (116-110) all scored at least eight rounds for Ennis. Chukhadzhian made their rematch more competitive than their first fight, which wasn’t all that difficult considering Ennis won their initial meeting by the same margin, 120-108, on all three scorecards in January 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

“Chukhadzhian a great fighter, though,” Ennis said. “He could box, got a good IQ and it definitely was a little hard for me. But, you know, no excuses … as long I came out on top, got the job done.”

Ennis earned more than $2 million for their unnecessary rematch in the second fight of his Matchroom contract. He also took intense criticism for the first time in his career because fans questioned why Ennis ended up making a meaningless title defense instead of a unification fight with WBO champ Brian Norman Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) or a junior middleweight showdown with rival Vergil Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs).

Negotiations between representatives for Ennis and Norman ceased over money last summer. Ennis’ rematch with Chukhadzhian could’ve been avoided had he fought Norman because sanctioning organizations typically allow exceptions for champions to participate in title unification fights.

Regardless, back-to-back unremarkable performances against Russia’s David Avanesyan (31-5-1, 19 KOs) and Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) encouraged Ennis to insist upon more meaningful, inspiring assignments. Enter Eimantas Stanionis, his opponent Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs, 1 NC) and Lithuania’s Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) are set to fight for Ennis’ IBF, Stanionis’ WBA and the vacant Ring welterweight titles in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream worldwide. Undercard coverage is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on DAZN.

The 27-year-old Ennis couldn’t quantify how facing Chukhadzhian a second time impacted his performance five months ago.

“I don’t know,” Ennis said. “I can’t really say. But you’re gonna see a better me come April 12th.”