Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis posted on X today in response to reports of his negotiations with Vergil Ortiz Jr. which falls apart. Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) says he was “unaware” of any negotiations with Vergil and will let fans know at a “later date and time” whether he stays at 147 or moves up to 154.
Ennis’s Cryptic Post
It is unclear why Ennis did not state his intentions in his social post, but it would have been easy for him to do. His silence only furthers the belief that he is avoiding the February 22 fight with Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs).
It is hard for fans to believe that he was “unaware” of the negotiations with Vergil. How could Boots not know what was going on? It’s news everywhere, and surely his promoter, Eddie Hearn, told him about the discussions. It just sounds fishy.
At this point, Ennis has to take this fight with Vergil because his popularity is going to take a hit far worse than if he were to lose. Being seen as scared is far worse than losing. This is considered cowardly by fans and reinforces their view that Ennis was a hype job from the jump. He was given his IBF welterweight title by email and hasn’t fought anyone well since picking it up.
If Ennis is going to fight Vergil, he has to make a quick decision because there are 84 days before February 22nd, and he will have to start training. In addition, the fight should be promoted as part of the other matches on the Riyadh season card.
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) 30 November 2024
“I heard the news about Vergil and Boots being supposed to be down. I’m just letting you know, it’s duck soup at its finest,” Tim Bradley said on social media, in response to the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis negotiations falling apart.
“That’s exactly what you want to do when you want to duck someone, when you change your mind, when you don’t believe you’re that good. I don’t want to hear anyone else say anything about Boots. We don’t say anything about it anymore.
“This is a clear indication that he doesn’t want to smoke because it’s the perfect match for him at 154 pounds. It’s a smaller guy, not a big guy. He’s been at 154 for a while, but this is the perfect matchup,” Bradley said, noting that Vervil Jr. the ideal match for Ennis would be on February 22.
Duck Soup Claims
It does seem like a duck job by Ennis, and his comment that he is not unaware of the ongoing negotiations makes him sound disingenuous. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he had spoken to him, and he claimed he wanted to unify at welterweight. Hearn wouldn’t make this story up if it wasn’t true.
“What about all that talk your promoter did after the (Karen Chukhadzhian) fight (on November 9)? ‘154, 147 was really hard for him to make. The weight was a problem.’ You guys blamed it on his last act, right? Now you want to stay at 147?” said Bradley.
“You can stay at 147. You can fight. All you have to do is talk to the sanctioning body (IBF). All you have to do is say, ‘Hey, I want to go up to 154, and I want to fight Vergil and hold my belt at 147 lbs.’ They’re going to say, ‘Yes, as long as you pay the sanction fee.’ This is it. That’s all he has to do,” Bradley said.
The International Boxing Federation will likely allow Ennis to freeze his title so he can move up to 154 to fight Vergil Jr. to challenge for his WBC interim belts. Even if they said no, losing his IBF title isn’t a big deal for Ennis because he can always return to the welterweight division and beat whoever wins it.
“Of course he’s not as bad as you think he is. All those fans who think he’s bad. It’s not looking good for Boots and his team, man. Boots didn’t fight anyone. It doesn’t look good for the Boots camp,” Bradley said. “It’s not looking good for Eddie Hearn. For this he does not even have to come out of pocket. It’s going to be Saudi Arabia’s money. It’s amazing to me, man.
‘Boots, you must fight at 154. Stand up and look at this man, because I’m telling you, you look like a sucker. You and your team are looking for a sucker, bro. Get ready, let’s go. It’s a duck soup,” Bradley said.
Duck soup 🦆🍜 pic.twitter.com/16ihBhrXF3
— sour Ave Mel (@souraveboxing1) 30 November 2024
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