Hearn says his fighter is no longer in the position of making concessions to land the bout. Boots is now “king of the castle.”
“He was taking the smaller side of the piece last time. He was going to be the B-side. He agreed to everything that they wanted to get that opportunity. So you imagine how he feels now that he’s king of the castle,” said Hearn to the media about Ennis’ position in negotiations with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“Vergil doesn’t have anything Boots wants other than a big fight and a big payday. What does Boots want to do now? He wants to unify.”
“I don’t rule out that Ortiz fight at all. One thing is for sure. He ain’t close at all at the moment.“
Hearn’s comments reflect how much Ennis’ position has changed over the past year. During earlier discussions, Ennis was still chasing the biggest opportunities and was willing to accept B-side status to secure a fight with Ortiz. Hearn says those circumstances no longer exist.
Ennis now holds two world titles and has shifted his attention toward becoming the undisputed champion. Hearn indicated that unification bouts remain the priority, but he left the door open for Ortiz if Golden Boy presents an offer that outweighs Ennis’ other options.
“Tell us what the money is. And I’ll go to Jaron, and I’ll say, ‘We got Kelly, Fundora, or Ortiz,’” said Hearn.
Unless Turki Alalshikh gets involved, it’s questionable if a fight with Ortiz Jr. is financially appealing enough for Ennis to take time off from pursuing his goal of becoming the undisputed champion at junior middleweight.
Josh Kelly and Sebastian Fundora remain among the names under consideration, with Hearn making it clear that every possibility will be evaluated before Ennis decides on his next opponent.
A fight is still available for Vergil Jr, but Hearn believes the balance of power has moved. Rather than Ennis pursuing Ortiz Jr. at any cost, Golden Boy must now convince the unified champion that the financial package is worth delaying his pursuit of the remaining 154-lb titles.
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