Frank Martin questions whether Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be able to take the heavy shots of WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. Martin notes that Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) has shown he can take punches when hit clean, but he’s unsure if he can take Vergil Jr’s power.
The two fighters are expected to fight in 2026 in a mega-fight that will put the winner in a position to challenge WBC 154-lb champion Sebastian Fundora for his title.
“Boots can fight his a** off. The thing is, though, to actually be able to fight another fighter who can hit and who’s going to hit you with those big shots, is he going to be able to take it against a big puncher like Vergil Ortiz Jr.?” said Frank Martin Fight Hub TVquestions whether Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has the power of Vergil Ortiz Jr.
It is still unclear whether the Ortiz vs. Ennis battle in 2026 will take place. Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya sounded like he wasn’t keen on taking the fight to Vergil Jr. following up on his second-round knockout win over Erickson Lubin on Nov. 8, says he wants “favorable terms” for Ortiz – 0 Jr., (224 KO Jr.). Fans took it as classic duck talk.
“Their styles are a clash. It’s a crazy clash-style fight. We’ve seen ‘Boots’ get hit with real big shots. I don’t feel like he got hit clean with a puncher like Vergil. His defense could be impeccable the night he fought Vergil. It might not be. We don’t know,” Martin said of Ennis’ defense maybe not up to par against Ortiz Jr.
Last updated on 26/11/2025
