Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he wants the fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. and believes it can happen now that he’s moved to 154. Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, is reportedly in negotiations with Ortiz Jr’s promoters at Golden Boy to put together a fight for September or October.
Hearn Negotiates Ennis-Ortiz Jr. Fight
Boots (34-0, 30 KOs) says that if the Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) fight doesn’t happen next, he has a lot of other excellent options for him to fight at 154. He does want the Vergil Jr. fight and believes it’ll “make a lot of money.” However, it’ll depend on whether Hearn can put together a deal that makes sense for both fighters.
“That fight can definitely happen, and it’s the fight everyone wants to see. I’m at 154. It got to happen,” said Jaron Ennis to YSM Sports Media about a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. “That fight is going to make a lot of money. We’re going to sell out no matter where it’s at.”
Negotiating the fight could be a nightmare for Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn. He’s got to deal with Golden Boy Promotions’ boss, Oscar De La Hoya. Vergil Jr. is now his last hope to turn into a superstar. He’s going to want big money for Ortiz Jr. given the risk involved in fighting Boots. If Ortiz Jr. is going to get beaten, which he likely will, De La Hoya will want the money to be huge for the fight.
Ennis Addresses “Ducking” Claims
“It’s extra motivation. I can’t wait to shut y’all up,” said Boots about fans believing he ducked Vergil Ortiz Jr. “We’re here now. It’s time. It’s going to happen, for sure.”
Boxing fans may continue to label Boots as a duck if Hearn can’t negotiate a deal for him to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. in September. Now that Boots is at 154, people expect that fight to happen next. If it doesn’t, they’re going to point the fingers of blame at Jaron, believing he lost his nerve again, just like last time when he chose not to fight Ortiz Jr. last February.
Beyond Ortiz Jr: Ennis’s Options
“There’s a lot. I’m here now. So, whatever suitable opponent that is willing to come next, that’s what we’re going to do. Whatever the next best option is, that’s what comes next,” said Boots Ennis, reacting to the names Jesus Ramos, Serhii Bohachuk, Jermell Charlo, Sebastian Fundora, Xander Zayas, and Israil Madrimov as potential opponents.
The great thing that Ennis and promoter Eddie Hearn have going for them is the deep pool of talent at 154 for them to choose from. There’s less pressure to try to get one big fight like there was at 147, when Hearn failed at negotiating a unification clash with WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. due to him wanting more money than what he was willing to offer.
If Hearn can’t negotiate a deal with Vergil Ortiz Jr. for September or October, he can turn his attention to other fighters like Fundora, Madrimov, Ramos, Charlo, or Bohachuk to try and negotiate a deal with.
Ennis’s 154 lbs Knockout Power
“I know for a fact that you’re going to see a lot of explosive knockouts from me, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis,” said Boots about how he’ll perform at 154.
Boots believes he will be stronger at junior middleweight now that he won’t have to cut down as much weight as he did when competing at welterweight. The pounds that he had to take off to get down to 147 left him looking skeletal at the weigh-ins.
Jaron looked like a person who had been on a starvation diet when hitting the scales. It had to have hurt his performances in the last year or two at welterweight. That might explain why Ennis failed to impress in his two fights against Karen Chukhadzhian.
Last Updated on 07/05/2025
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