Eddie Hearn says a fight between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. could happen at 147 for the Ennis IBF welterweight title instead of 154.
Hearn says they will decide which direction to go with Boots this week. He says he still wants to unify at 147. Passing Hearn’s lack of enthusiasm when discussing a potential Ennis-Vergil Jr. fight, it seems clear that he is not eager to make the matchup.
Why not 154?
You could read Hearn like a book when he discussed a fight between Ennis and Ortiz. He clearly doesn’t want any part of that fight, hence his bump on it which is at 147. If Ortiz is offered a lot of money, he might do it, but it’s pathetic that he would have to drain it to make that fight at welterweight rather than . Ennis comes in at 154.
Ennis looked terrible in her last fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th. He was outboxed and, surprisingly, out-punched by him in front of a large crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Before the fight, Boots said, “I’m going to have my fun,” which was code for, “I’m going to beat this guy.” ‘However, he looked miserable against Chukhadzhian and was lucky to come out of the fight with a win.
Ennis’ stock dropped with that performance, and he’s now seen as a one-dimensional fighter who lacks the talent to move up to 154 to compete with the Sharks in that weight class. Vergil Ortiz Jr., like six or seven other fighters, would be an absolute disaster for Ennis.
Making the fight at welterweight gives Boots a better chance to win because Vergil would be weakened, removing him from 154. That’s one way for Hearn’s fight to win: his chances against Vergil at 154 would be slim. Vergil is powerful, skilled, and one of the best fighters at 154, if not the best.
Hearn wouldn’t say if it was his idea for Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) to drop to 147 for the fight with Boots (33-0, 29) because it would be difficult for him to make that weight. he has not fought at welterweight since 2022, and had medical problems to reduce the weight to go down to 147.
Is Ennis standing at 147?
“Yes, there are many obstacles, and we had a call with Jaron later. Obviously, he wants to defend his 147 lb title,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing news on a fight between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. for February
“After his last fight (Karen Chukhadzhian), he thought it might be time to move (to 154). He wants to unify the division, but he would be more than open to a fight against Vergil Ortiz as well. So, let’s talk with the other champions (at 147), we will talk to Vergil Ortiz, and we will make another decision this week for the next step for Jaron Ennis.
The obstacle that Hearn alludes to in a cryptic way is probably the need for Vergil to agree to the Ennis fight that happens at 147. It’s a deal-killer here. Ortiz went through hell, making weight for his last two fights at 147, and it would be nearly impossible for him to return to the division after two years of fighting at 154.
This looks like a tactical mode to show that they are not interested in making the fight with Ortiz. If Ennis and Hearn wanted that fight, they would go up to 154 and challenge Vergil for his interim WBC belt.
“The offer we had was to fight Vergil Ortiz at 147, which is interesting because we have to keep our title. Maybe there’s still a move to 154. That’s the correspondence we’ve been getting,” Hearn said when asked if Vergil can still make 147. “It’s a big decision for Jaron, and it will be made this week.”
