Eddie Hearn says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be ready to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. after he takes his tune-up fight in September or October. Hearn says it’s not “unreasonable” for Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) to take one tune-up at 154 after moving up from 147.
Fans don’t understand why Ennis needs a tune-up first, given that it’s only seven pounds, and he’s in the prime of his career at 28. When the 37-year-old Terence Crawford moved up to 154 last August, he didn’t need a tune-up. He challenged WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, coming off a year-long layoff.
“We were asked to make that fight on August 16th, which we accepted it. They said Vergil wasn’t ready,” said Eddie Hearn to Akhi about why Jaron Ennis isn’t fighting Vergil Ortiz Jr. yet. “Then they said they want to do the fight on November 22nd. We’ve already got a fight for Boots planned at the end of September or early October.”
If Ennis is going to fight in September or October, Hearn has been keeping it a secret because nothing has been announced. The only thing that we’ve heard if Boots turned down a fight against Teofimo Lopez and didn’t want to stay at 147 for one more fight against Devin Haney. Both of those would have been massive paydays for Ennis. How could he turn them down?
What’s the use of Matchroom signing Boots to a multi-fight extension if he’s going to turn down the big fights offered to him. The Vergil Ortiz contest is just the tip of the iceberg. As yoy can, Boots has been turning down fights left and right.
Terence Crawford mentioned in the past that Ennis had a chance to fight him, and didn’t take it, saying this on social media, “Like I said before, @JaronEnnis had two opportunities to fight me. We talking about a kid that’s still fighting in the theater. Make it make sense.”
“We will fight Vergil Ortiz, but he [Ennis] will have that one [tune-up] fight at 154, which isn’t unreasonable,” said Hearn about Boots wanting a tune-up at junior middleweight. “You’re moving from 147 to 154. But any fight that Boots takes next that doesn’t involve Vergil Ortiz, he will sign for Vergil Ortiz.”
Many fans have lost faith in Ennis fighting Vergil Jr. or any of the big names, as he has consistently taken tune-up level opposition for years. His three fights are a perfect example. These Boots’ recent fights:
– Eimantas Stanionis
– Karen Chukhadzhian
– David Avanesyan
“This fight is going to get bigger and bigger. I don’t like to marinate fights, but these two are great undefeated fighters,” said Hearn about the Ennis vs. Ortiz Jr. clash. “The fight is going to get bigger and bigger. You don’t have to wait too long for that fight.”
How can Ennis-Vergil Jr. get bigger if Boots is turning down all the big fights to make it into a mega-clash? It’s not going to become a massive fight if Ennis is just taking tune-ups. Vergil Jr. almost lost his last fight against Israil Madrimov. He likely would have been beaten if Madrimov hadn’t been coming off a case of acute bronchitis.
Even with Madrimov not 100%, he inflicted a lot of punishment on Vergil Jr. The fight showed that Ortiz Jr. won’t be able to keep winning for much longer unless his promoter protects him. The Ennis fight won’t be worth anything if Vergil Jr. loses to someone.
“You probably have to wait until December, January, or February, and you’ll see Boots against Ortiz. Mark these words. Boots will win the fight comfortably against Vergil Ortiz. I love Vergil Ortiz, but he ain’t beating Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis,” said Hearn.
If the fight is going to happen in December, Hearn needs to start negotiating now because that’s only four months away. That doesn’t seem realistic for Ennis to be fighting Vergil in December, especially if he’s going to take two tune-ups.
Last Updated on 07/26/2025
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