“He Enjoys Hurting People”: Stephen Edwards Breaks Down Why Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis Will Punish Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Trainer Stephen Edwards says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is a bad style match-up for Vergil Ortiz Jr. He views the fight as a complete mismatch in favor of WBA interim 154-lb champion Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) when the two meet up in 2026.

Mean Streak Behind the Smile

Stephen says he’s observed that Ennis, 28, has a mean streak and enjoys hurting his opponents. He’s a natural-born killer. For the slow, easy-to-hit Vergil Ortiz Jr., Edwards says he’s “all wrong for him.”

The Inevitable Towels of Mercy

Edwards states that WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) has too many bad flaws in his game that will put him at the mercy of Ennis. He predicts that Vergil Junior’s corner will throw in the towel between “six and eight.”

Ennis is coming off a statement first-round knockout win over contender Uisma Lima in his debut at 154 on October 11, 2025, in Philadelphia. The way ‘Boots’ destroyed Lima, it’s hard to believe anyone in the junior middleweight division would be able to stand up to his offensive firepower. Edwards rates Ennis as the #1 fighter at 154 after only one fight in the division.

Corner Stoppage Forecasted Early

“He’s a mean, mean kid. I think he enjoys beating on people, but he just don’t come off that way. I think there’s going to be a corner stoppage between six and eight. They’re going to say, ‘Man, it ain’t worth it,’” said coach Stephen Edwards to YSM Sports Media, predicting a stoppage victory for Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis over Vergil Ortiz Jr. in 2026.

To listen to Ennis talk, he sounds like anyone, and doesn’t come across as a person who fights or enjoys it. He sounds almost nerdy in a way, like someone more into breaking down impossible-to-solve math problems.

“I think ‘Boots’ is all wrong for Vergil. I think the way he holds his hands, the way he tries to throw everything hard. ‘Boots’ is too talented, too strong, punches too hard, too twitcy, too much of a dominating jab, too much of a body puncher, and too good at punching in exchanges,” said Edwards.

The fight still hasn’t been made, and there are questions about whether Golden Boy Promotions wants to sacrifice young Vergil Jr. to the guillotine, Ennis. If they don’t believe that Ortiz Jr. can win, it’s unlikely that they’ll go through with the fight unless there’s a massive amount of money at stake.