Jaron Ennis: Is he too scared to move up?

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has posted on social media that 2025 will be a “great” year for him. The 27-year-old is targeting the welterweight titles to become undisputed champion.

Some believe Boots lacks the ambition, courage and sense of adventure to move up to 154 and 160 for bigger money fights.

(Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) still hopes to unify the 147-welterweight division after turning down the opportunity to move up to 154 for bigger challenges against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. showed

147: A Dead End?

Some boxing fans believe Boots lacks the courage and ambition to do more with his career. Rather, he will play it safe and work tirelessly to achieve his goal of becoming undisputed champion in a dead division at welterweight.

It must be frustrating for promoter Eddie Hearn because there are so many big names at 154, 160 and 168, and he can match Boots Ennis if he is willing to take risks with his career. Staying at 147 is a dead end for Boots, 27, and Hearn more than anyone has learned.

Hearn might be able to accommodate Boots in 2025 by setting him up with one unification fight at welterweight, but no more.

Unless Hearn is willing to pay the other 147-lb champions a king’s ransom, they won’t fight Ennis because their chances of winning are slim. They are better off holding on to their seat belts and milk them.

Boots’ recent dismal performance against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9 may have destroyed what little ambition he still had in his body, leaving the risk-averse fighter we see now.

Hearn’s wasted efforts

Karen schooled Ennis for 12 rounds, outboxed, grappled and outworked him in front of his fans. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall afterwards to hear what Hearn said privately about his thoughts on Boot’s performance. I seriously doubt Hearn will re-sign Boots when his contract with Matchroom is up because he’s not going anywhere.

There are so many big fights that Hearn could match Boots with if he was brave and wanted to challenge himself by moving up to 154, 160, 168 and 175. He has the frame to compete in all those divisions, but he won’t it. Something is holding him back.

I’d say the best Hearn can hope for with Ennis in 2025 is a paltry unification fight against WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis. That’s about it. Throw him back in with Karen for a trilogy after that match.

2024 was a good year but 2025 will be a great and blessed year for me! 2025 I’m in that mode! I can’t wait 👑🫶🏾 Keep that same energy!

— Boots (@JaronEnnis) January 2, 2025