Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. has reportedly agreed to a February 22 fight in Riyadh for Vergil’s interim WBC junior title. It’s still not official, but the two have verbally agreed.
Ennis will need to build up a bit so he can stand a chance against the heavy artillery Vergil will be bombarding him with. Boxing Scene’s Lance Pugmire reports that Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) and Ortiz Jr (22-0, 21 KOs) have agreed.
You have to give Boots credit for bravery in taking this fight because Vergil Jr. is a cut above, and all wrong for him on paper.
Interestingly, Boots and Ortiz Jr. agreed to fight at 154 because Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearnsaid in an interview Tuesday that the fight could be at 147. Ennis needs every chance to win after how he looked in his last fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9.
There are no words to describe how bad Boots looked in that fight. Unable to miss his punches, Karen hit him with everything but the kitchen sink and clawed him in front of Boots’ fans at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
This would tilt things in Ennis’s favor because Vergil Jr. outgrew the welterweight division two years ago in 2022 and would risk his health by trying to return. At 154, you’ll have to make Vergil the favorite as Boots has looked weak in his last two fights against Karen and David Avanesyan.
It’s a tough fight for Boots to take his first three on 154, but he has to do something. He’s not getting the fights he wants at 147 against any of the other champions, and his future is limited if he stays. Moving up to 154 could help Ennis, provided he doesn’t immediately fall apart in his clash against Vergil.
If Ennis loses this fight to Ortiz Jr, it will be fun to see Hearn’s reaction. Seeing Boots’ ship scuttled by Vergil on February 22 will put Hearn in a quandary where he’ll have to decide whether to undertake an expensive Joshua-type rebuild or wash his hands of him, and consider him a mistake.
When Hearn signed Ennis in April 2024, he looked pure 24k goldthe type of fighter whose value can continue to increase for years. But after seeing Ennis struggle in his two fights under his tutelage against Avanesyan and Chukhadzhian, Hearn quickly learned he had it all wrong. Ennis is fools gold, and Hearn clearly blew it.
SEE YOU SOON ✌🏾 #KTSE pic.twitter.com/roeaPJC6Vq
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) November 26, 2024
