Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ decision to stay at 147 rather than 154 to face interim WBC champion Vergil Ortiz Jr is based on his hopes that his promoter, Eddie Hearn, will eventually line him up for unification fights against to the other three champions. .
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said that he tried to arrange the fight between Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, but he could not do it. He says that Boots”He changed his mind.“
Hearn wouldn’t say who Ennis might fight next when he returns to the ring in the first half of 2025, but it won’t be against any of the champions at 147. Ennis ends up making another title defense against a contender fight that fans have little interest in seeing.
It would not be a surprise if Boots Ennis against one of these fighters for his next defense in April or May 2025:
– Lewis Crocker
– Paddy Donovan
– Ekow Essuman
– Pat McCormack
Boots seems to be going in the same direction as Hearn’s former fight Demetrius Andradewho came up against lackluster opposition in his three-fight stint with Matchroom. When Ennis’ contract with Hearn expires, it is predictable that it will not be renewed.
Popularity project
Those aren’t fights that will interest the fans, but Hearn wouldn’t need to pay a lot to get any of those fighters to agree to fight Boots. It would be a different story if Hearn tried to set up a unification fight for Ennis at 147 because the champions wanted a lot of money because of the high risk a fight of that nature would have.
Ennis’ popularity is at an all-time low after he opted not to advance to face Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) on the Feb. 22 card.
It doesn’t look promising for Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) that Hearn will be able to bring any unification fight for him at welterweight because he is someone to avoid ia division. Ennis is not popular, lacks personality, and is not fighting the kind of opposition that would increase his notoriety.
“He gave us his word and changed his mind at the last minute,” His Excellency Turki Alalshikh told Ariel Helani’s channel, talking about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis not wanting to move to 154 for a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Ennis should have learned from Hearn’s failure to set up the unification fight with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. who doesn’t have much chance to get the matches he wants at 147.
Without the involvement of Turki in the fights at 147, Boots is not a place to go because Hearn did not want to overpay the other belts. Turki wants big fights, and none of the champions at 147 are popular enough for a match against Ennis to create any demand. He is interested in Ennis challenging Vergil Ortiz Jr, but there is nothing he can do if he does not feel.
A “Bad Look” For Boots
“Hearn said he’s not going to fight again in February. He’s going to be pushed to April or May,” said Chris Mannix on his channeltalking about “Boots” Ennis’ next fight in 2025.
“That doesn’t make sense. It’s not like he’s moving to fight this junior middleweight (Vergil Jr). He’s moving to fight a former 147-pounder that he’s been talking about fighting anyway.
“He (Ortiz Jr) doesn’t look infallible. He beat Serhii Bohachuk but he was dropped twice in that fight. If you did Vergil against Boots, I’d like Boots. Not by a ton, but I’d favor him first in that fight. It looks like a duck.
It’s doubtful that Boots can beat Vergil Jr. He obviously knows that himself, which is why he dropped the idea of moving up to 154 to challenge Vergil Jr.
The way Ennis looked against Karen Chukhadzhian, Roiman Villa and David Avanesyan, he’s not going to beat Ortiz Jr.
“You want to keep your (IBF welterweight) belt. You just made a mandatory title defense against Chukhadzhian. You can keep the belt, move up to 154, take a fight, and if it doesn’t work out for you, go down and defend your title,” Mannix said.
“I know guys, once they’re moving, they don’t really like to get off. Boots is still young enough to put the weight back on. None of this makes any sense, and it’s a bad look overall for Boots Ennis,” he said. Mannix.
