Ennis vs. Norman Jr. – Negotiations hit a snag: time for a plan B?

Brian Norman Jr’s father, Brian Sr., says his son is no longer “optimistic” that the unification fight against IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will take place. Norman Sr. that he had to wait days between offers from Matchroom, and they are always few.

Norman Sr. says he is still hopeful that the fight between his son, WBO 147-lb champion Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) can be made. They still stick to it, but it’s not easy.

Hearn took to social media today and told his followers that they have three offers to Norman Jr. made, and he questions whether they are “misled” or using Boots’ name for recognition.

Fans skeptical of Hearn’s intentions

Fans believe that Hearn has no intention of putting Boots (32-0, 29 KOs) in Norman and only wants to match him against his IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian. It’s an easy fight, and it won’t be as expensive or risky as pitting the easy-to-beat Ennis against Norman Jr. can win a fight. All you have to do is watch Hearn’s recent matchup with Anthony Joshua to show you his maternal instincts.

After all the big talk Hearn did when he signed Boots, saying he would put him in big fights and turn him into a star, he has already matched up against 35-year-old journeyman David Avanesyan once. This is a fight that fans were not excited about. Now it appears that Hearn wants to put Ennis in a rematch that no one wants to see against Chukhadzhian.

Fans are seeing Hearn match up with Boots Ennis and Shakur Stevenson, similar to how he did with Demetrius Andrade when he was at Matchroom. Instead of pitting Andrade against big names like Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, he matched up against British fighters Jason Quigley, Liam Williams and Luke Keeler.

After Andrade fell out of favor, Hearn seemed surprised and unaware of the role he played. Now he’s doing the same thing with Shakur Stevenson, matching him against British fighter Joe Cordina, and he’s about to make the same mistake with Boots Ennis.

“Complete transparency. We waited three days for another offer to even come back. We waited three days. It’s crazy,” Brian Norman Sr. said. said Instagramgives an update on his negotiations with Matchroom Boxing for a unification fight against IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.

“When it did, it still came back low, still short. We can make this fight happen if Eddie Hearn is who he says he is and has Turki Alalahikh in his corner. We can make it work. We certainly didn’t (out)praise ourselves. That’s why this is even being talked about because you know Eddie wouldn’t have a problem coming out and saying we priced ourselves higher. We haven’t at all.”

Time for a Plan B?

That would be a good idea for Norman Sr. to start planning for other fights for his son, Brian Jr., because he might be wasting his time with Hearn. If it was a fight Hearn wanted, he would have been on the phone day and night trying to put it together for Boots Ennis. Norman Sr. saying that he had to wait three days between offers and that they are repeatedly low tells you something. Hearn doesn’t want this fight, and he’s dropping him.

Options for Norman Jr

– Teofimo Lopez
– Alexis Rocha
– Conor Benn
– Mario Barrios
– Eimantas Stanionis

“We are ready to go. My son is no longer optimistic about this fight happening. I totally am because I know my son can beat Jaron Ennis, and it’s a great opportunity. But I can’t let him go out like that. I can’t let him do that for what they’re trying to say. I can’t do it. Either way, I’m ready to go. Full transparency. So, yeah, Eddie, let’s go,” Norman Sr. said.

We have sent all 3. The team is either misled or just using the Boots name. Interviews are coming down soon, hopefully they are more serious than their negotiations suggest https://t.co/81fVLVwCMM

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) August 29, 2024