Eddie Hearn still can’t say for sure that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will fight next WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. Matchroom promoter Hearn says, ‘Maybe’ the Ennis vs. Vergil Jr. matchup. will take place from February 22. He expects an announcement soon.
Ennis looked the picture of a mentally broken person after her recent fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th. He had a thousand-yard blank stare and could tell he was haunted by that performance every day.
That’s why it’s risky for Ennis to jump into Vergil Jr.’s fight. without a rebuilding job of two or three confidence boosters.
Boot’s Must Decide
Ennis has not yet decided if he will take the fight, which signals that he and his promoter, Hearn, are concerned about what might happen if he moves up to 154 to fight Vergil. Ennis looked really bad in her last fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th and didn’t do well in her match before that against David Avanesyan.
Boots is faced with a big decision: should he vacate his IBF welterweight title and move up to 154 or stay where he is, defending against lesser opposition?
Whatever he decides, it will reflect his self-confidence. At this point, he seems to have lost his self-belief and will likely stay at 147 to continue defending his belt.
Moving to 154 would mean Ennis entering the unknown, which could be a disaster for him. Vergil Jr. can punch, and Boots is not exactly difficult to hit.
Few people believe Ennis would be victorious against Vergil because he doesn’t look like an elite level fighter right now. You can tell Hearn has lost faith in Ennis after watching his last two performances against Chukhadzhian and Avanesyan.
Hearn says Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) will decide if he wants to face the undefeated Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) later. He prefers that the fight takes place at 147 for his IBF welterweight belt, but it is not possible because Vergil, 26 years old, is too big to join that weight class.
Vergil has wrestled at 154 for his last three fights since 2022, and it would take a lot from him to get back into the division.
Announcement soon
“Maybe,” said Eddie Hearn to the media when asked if the Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fight will happen on February 22nd. “We’ve been in talks. Obviously, Boots would prefer to fight at 147, but Vergil won’t fight there. He moved to 154.
“I think there will be an announcement very soon for February 22. The problem is that Thanksgiving today, which is not easy. It’s like trying to negotiate an agreement with a fighter from the United Kingdom on Christmas Day .We like the fight, but Boots has to make a decision.
“Do you get rid of the (IBF welterweight) belt or do you move? I don’t know which way it’s going to go,” Hearn said.
