Eddie Hearn says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ first priority is to exhaust all efforts to make a unification fight next instead of facing Teofimo Lopez.
Matchroom promoter Hearn says that if he can’t negotiate a deal for Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios or WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis, he will look to put Teofimo in the fight . and Ennis. That would be a joint PPV match on DAZN and ESPN.
Teofimo in waiting
Fans are waiting for Boots to face Teofimo Lopez next. They will be disappointed if Ennis chooses to fight a unification against Barrios or Stanionis, as neither of those guys are popular and seen as mere belts.
Hearn says Ennis is focusing on unifying the 147lb division because he is “not” a 154lb fighter. That’s why he didn’t accept the offer to move up to junior middleweight to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his interim WBC title on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s February 22 Riyadh season card.
Eddie points out that Conor Benn is interested in fighting Barrios for his WBC title next, and that the fight could happen. WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman wants a tune-up later, so he is not available for Ennis to fight. That leaves only WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis as the main option for Ennis’ next contest.
“The decision was not to (move to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr). I feel sorry for Jaron, but in the end, he is not a 154-pound fighter. If he was, he would fight Vergil Ortiz,” said Eddie Hearn on Fight Hub TV on why Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis didn’t accept the offer to challenge WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22.
“We are pursuing unification fights. Teofimo Lopez, you saw things about it. We (Ennis) really love that fight, but he also wants to unify. So, if we can’t unify, he has a decision to fight Teofimo Lopez.
“If he had gone to 154 and not beaten Vergil Ortiz, I would understand the criticism. We are 100% at 147 for the next fight and maybe another one, but we have to provide that unification,” said Hearn.
This will not go down well with the fans if Boots chooses to go in the direction of a unification against one of the 147lb champions instead of facing Teofimo next. He already looks like a duck for choosing not to face Vergil Ortiz at 154 on the Feb. 22 card in Riyadh.
If Ennis decides to skip a mega-fight against Lopez in favor of a lackluster welterweight unification bout against Stanionis or Barrios, he’ll cement himself in people’s minds as lacking ambition and guts.
What’s next for Boots?
“The offer is to do it on DAZN PPV and ESPN PPV,” said Hearn about the offer he received for a fight between Teofimo Lopez and Boots Ennis. “He (Jaron) really needs a big fight, and he wants that big fight to be a unification.
“If we can’t get a unification, we’ll look at the other options (for Ennis). The other options could be Teofimo Lopez or Vergil Ortiz. He’s just not moved to 154. I promise you. It will be either in a unification or in a massive fight afterwards.”
Obviously, Vergil Jr.’s fight. it is not an option for Boots’ next fight because he has already chosen not to take that match. Ortiz Jr. he has an opponent for the February 22 card, Israil Madrimov now. Therefore, it is too late for Ennis to take that option after his rejection.
If Hearn can’t negotiate a unification fight for IBF welterweight champion Jaron against WBC champion Barrios or WBA belt Stanionis, Teofimo is the only option. Eddie and Boots will have to move quickly if they want to have the option of using Lopez as a third choice because he won’t wait forever.
“For me, I like the fight (Teofimo), but for him (Boots), it’s not about the money. He wants to unify the division,” said Hearn. “This is the goal and the absolute goal. So, when I went to him about Teoifmo, “Oh, it’s a cool fight, but you have to push for the champions (at 147).’ I said, “I do, but that’s also on the table.”
“The first priority is to exhaust all options on champions, and then, if not, I think it’s (Teofimo) a great fight. We negotiated with Stanionis. We negotiated with Barrios. Brian Norman will not take the fight. He wants a warm-up fight first, and that’s enough.
“We’re going to try to shut down Stanionis or Barrios, or we’re going to look at Teo, or if he (Boots) wants to move on, he should go straight to that Vergil Ortiz fight. We’re not going to any other fight because people like that fight, and it’s a fight we really like as well,” Hearn said.
