Promoter Eddie Hearn is pushing the idea of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vacating his IBF welterweight title and moving up to 154 to face former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov or former WBC interim champion Serhii Bohachuk next.
Hearn’s Clout-Chasing
Fans believe that Hearn is just chasing power and throwing out Madrimov and Bohachuk’s names with no intention of letting Boots vacate his IBF 147-lb title to move up to 154 to face those dangerous predators. Those guys hit too hard and are too tough and advanced for the young male lion, Boots.
If Hearn thought Ennis could swim with the sharks at 154, he would have had him vacate his IBF trinkets and move up a long time ago, because there is absolutely no one on earth for Boots to fight at the depleted 147-lb division. It is empty, barren and a wasteland.
Boots will probably defend against Karen Chukhadjian in a rematch on November 9. It’s an easy fight for Boots, and it won’t cost Hearn an arm and a leg to put together. That’s the fight Hearn seems interested in, but he won’t admit it.
Stubborn negotiations
Hearn doesn’t like the idea of Boots (32-0, 29 KOs) facing IBF-bound Karen Chukhadzhian on Nov. 9 in Philadelphia. However, he could still cancel plans for a unification fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. save if he sweetens the $1.7M offer by raising it only $500K to $2.2M.
Still, Hearn stubbornly stands his ground and refuses to agree to Team Norman Jr.’s request. in what some boxing fans believe is to protect his profit margins for the Boots-Norman Jr. fight. Although Hearn says that the money Norman Jr. would receive essentially a 50-50 split with Boots Ennis for the November 9th fight, supporters believe Jaron Shakur is getting $5 million in cash.
Norman Jr., who wants $2.2 million on top of the $5 million Boots can get, would cut profit margins for the event unless His Excellency Turki Alalshikh was willing to come to Hearn’s rescue.
The Dead Battle
“It’s dead (Boots-Norman battle). We either fight Chukhadzhian, or we evacuate. I want (Boots) to unify the (147-lb) division, but I have a plan to do a monster card in November,” promoter Eddie Hearn told IFL TV YouTube channel when asked what he was doing with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis now that his unification fight against Brian Norman Jr. will no longer take place for November 9.
The Ennis-Norman Jr. died only because of Hearn’s ham-handed approach to negotiating the fight. If it was the American master, Bob Arum, he would have found a way to put that clash together immediately, but he is experienced and does not let his emotions get in the way of matchmaking.
“So, let’s see how the purse bid goes (for the Boots vs. Karen Chukhadzhian rematch),” Hearn said. I also have no problems with Boots moving to 154 pounds. I reached out to (Serhii) Bohachuk. I think it’s a great fight. You have Israil Madrimov. You have some great fights at 154 outside the champions.”
Again, Hearn isn’t going to allow Boots to move up to 154 to mess with Madrimov or Bohachuk because he has to know he’ll either lose or get knocked out by those two. We saw what Madrimov did to Terence Crawford and what Bohachuk did to Vergil Ortiz Jr. did. Hearn doesn’t want that to happen to Boots.
“I would love to fight a champion, but we have some decisions to make in the next 24 hours,” Hearn said. “But the decisions will not include Brian Norman, (his manager) Adrian (Clark) or Derrick. I would love to fight them, but sometimes you miss the boat. Maybe it all works out, and we do a unification, but he won’t get any more money,” Hearn said.
Therefore, Hearn failed Boots Ennis again, just like he did with Demetrius Andrade and like he’s doing with Shakur Stevenson. If you’re Ennis, you can’t be happy to hear Hearn take a greedy Scrooge McDuck approach to setting up fights for him. Being stuck fighting Karen again because Hearn doesn’t want to sweeten the pot a measly $500K to $2.2 million for the Norman fight can’t make him happy.
“That’s it. It’s the money, but that’s okay. He (Norman Jr) can fight on Keyshawn’s undercard for 200 bags (thousand against Derreick Cuevas on November 8),” said Hearn.
Of course, Hearn could easily come up with the extra $500K that Norman Jr. wants for the fight with Boots Ennis, but he won’t. He would rather fight Boots with Karen than give up the gains and put himself in a risky battle that he might lose. Would Hearn do it if it was Anthony Joshua? You bet, but keeping AJ happy is paramount.
