Eddie Hearn says a fight between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. could take place at 147 for Ennis’ IBF welterweight title rather than 154.
Hearn says they will decide which direction to go with Boots this week. He says he still wants to unite at 147. Pass by Hearn’s lack of enthusiasm when discussing a potential Ennis-Vergil Jr. fight, it seems clear that he is NOT eager to make the match.
Why not 154?
One could read Hearn like a book when discussing a fight between Ennis and Ortiz. He clearly wants no part of that fight, hence her moaning about it happening at 147. If Ortiz is offered a lot of money, he might do it, but it’s pathetic that he’ll have to drain to make that fight at welterweight rather than Ennis getting to 154.
Ennis looked terrible in his last fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th. He was outboxed and, surprisingly, punched by him in front of a large crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Before the fight, Boots said, “I’m going to have my fun,” which was code for, “I’m going to knock this guy out.” ‘But he looked miserable against Chukhadzhian and was lucky to emerge victorious.
Ennis’ stock plummeted with that performance, and he is now viewed as a one-dimensional fighter who lacks the talent to move up to 154 to compete with the sharks in that weight class. Vergil Ortiz Jr., like six or seven other fighters, would be an absolute disaster for Ennis.
Making the fight at welterweight gives Boots a better chance to win because Vergil would be weakened, and would come down from 154. That’s one way for Hearn’s fighter to win: his chances against Vergil at 154 ​​​​would be slim. Vergil is powerful, skilled and one of the best fighters at 154, if not the best.
Hearn does not say whether it was his idea that Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) comes down to 147 for the fight with Boots (33-0, 29 because it would be difficult for him to make that weight. Vergil hasn’t fought at welterweight since 2022, and he had medical issues to cut weight to get down to 147.
Ennis Staying at 147?
“Yes, there are many obstacles, and later we got a call with Jaron. It’s clear he wants to defend his 147-pound title,” said Eddie Hearn Boxing News about a fight between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. for February.
“After his last fight (Karen Chukhadzhian), he thought maybe it was time to move (to 154). He does want to unify the division, but he would also be more than open to a fight against Vergil Ortiz. So, we’re talking to the other champions (at 147), we’re talking to Vergil Ortiz, and we’ll make another decision this week for the next step for Jaron Ennis.
The obstacle to which Hearn refers in a cryptic way is probably the need for Vergil to agree to the Ennis fight which takes place on 147. That’s a deal killer right there. Ortiz went through hell making weight for his last two fights at 147, and it would be nearly impossible for him to return to the division after two years of fighting at 154.
It looks like a tactical way to show that they are not interested in making the fight with Ortiz. If Ennis and Hearn wanted that fight, they would go up to 154 and challenge Vergil for his WBC interim belt.
“The offer we had was to fight Vergil Ortiz at 147, which is interesting because we keep our title. Maybe it will also be moved to 154. That’s the correspondence we’ve received,” Hearn said when asked if Vergil could make another 147. “It’s a big decision for Jaron, and it will be made this week.”
