Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis claims he didn’t know what was going on with the Vergil Ortiz Jr. situation when he chose not to agree to fight on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s February 22nd Riyadh Season Card.
In an interview, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) initially said it was a “miscommunication” and he wasn’t in the mood for the Vergil Jr. talks. However, in the same interview, Ennis admits that he chose not to fight Ortiz because he wanted to stay at 147 and try to unify the division.
Interestingly, when asked about his previous comments about his willingness to go up to 154 to fight Terence Crawford, Boots said it was different because he was a future Hall of Famer. So, he would move up to 154, but he would have to be a massive fight against Crawford.
Fans still think that Ennis dodged Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) as he would have gotten a big payday and increased his chances of getting a fight with Crawford.
If Boots moves up to junior middleweight, he would at least have a chance to get that fight. Staying at 147 doesn’t give him any opportunity because he’s in a different weight class and fights less popular fighters.
“Out of the Loop”
“I reached out to everyone involved to get to the bottom of what was going on and it was a lot of miscommunication. I got a great team, and I hired them to do their job, but I just felt like I was out of the loop. From now on I’ll be more aware of what’s going on,” said Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. YSM Sports Mediaand claimed he didn’t know what was going on at the time with the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight he chose not to take.
“They requested the deadline (for the February 22 card) and I was undecided,” says Ennis on why he is not taking on the fight with Vergil Jr. “I want to be unified or uncontested. Everyone called me an ‘Email Champion’ because I could never take a title from anyone. I got a belt. I never got that feeling of winning a world title and taking it from someone,” said Boots.
That sounds weak from Ennis, who says he wants to stay at 147 because he has NEVER won a world title from anyone and was emailed his IBF belt. The problem is that the three other welterweight champions are highly regarded. They are seen as paper champions with no fans and will not help Boots’ popularity if he does beat them.
Another problem is all the champions are tied at 147, and they are not going free. If they do become available, Boots’ promoter Eddie Hearn will have to meet their asking price. He failed to do so with WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., Mario Barrios or WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis. If Ennis stays at 147 in 2025, it’s possible Hearn won’t be able to set up a unification fight for him.
“Terence Crawford is a future Hall of Famer,” Ennis said, when asked why he would be willing to go up to 154 to fight Crawford if given the opportunity, but NOT Vergil Ortiz Jr. not. “It’s the same thing he’s trying to get Canelo. . Go up to 168 and only fight Canelo, but no one else at 168. It’s the same thing.”
If Ennis is willing to move up to 154 to fight Crawford, he should have moved up to fight Vergil because it looks bad that he chose not to fight on Turki’s card on February 22nd.
Validation at 147
“2025, my next fight is a unification. Like I said before. I’ve got to get my hands on one of those belts (at 147),” Ennis said. “I’ve got to get that feeling by taking somebody’s belt .I haven’t felt that feeling yet, and I feel like that’s what I need for my career and my legacy.
“I need that feeling to take a belt from someone. I feel like it will stamp myself. I’ll feel better about myself at 147,” Ennis said.
