Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis took care of business in last night’s defense of his IBF world welterweight title against mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian.
The pair squared off at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, in a somewhat bewildering rematch following on from Boots’ dominant performance over the Ukrainian last year.
And yet, their second counter made for a far more compelling clash, with Jaron Ennis flooring his opponent in the fifth round before withstanding a stern onslaught down the stretch.
In the end, the 27-year-old claimed another 12-round unanimous decision victory over Chukhadzhian, despite putting on a relatively uninspiring display by his high standards.
- Read More [Everything you need to know about Jaron Ennis, the welterweight champion looking to defend his IBF belt]
Eddie Hearn blasts Oscar De La Hoya and welcomes Vergil Ortiz Jr showdown
In recent years, Ennis has been held in astronomically high esteem by the boxing community, with many insisting that he will become a pound-for-pound great.
But while that is still largely the case, the American’s performance last night has raised several questions regarding his future at 147 lbs.
And so, shortly after his under par performance, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn teased a potential move up to super welterweight for his rising star.
The jump in weight has, of course, already been discussed at length, though Ennis has always maintained his desire to unify the welterweight division.
Still, it would now appear that, with Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya putting Vergil Ortiz Jr’s name into the mix, the more lucrative fights for Boots are all at 154 lbs.
“I think [Ennis vs Ortiz Jr is] a great fight,” Hearn said at the post-fight press conference, streamed by several outlets including FightHype.
“Boots knows he’s gotta be better than tonight, against a fighter like Vergil Ortiz [Jr]. But the training would be different, the mindset would be different, the challenge would be different – and that’s where you’re gonna see the best of a great fighter like Boots.
“Oscar De La Hoya’s a plonker. And I’ll be saying to Boots, ‘we can’t afford to lose that fight.’ I can’t lose to that f***er. If you [Ennis] don’t win that fight, I’ll never talk to you again.”
Oscar De La Hoya calls for Turki Alalshikh to make Jaron Ennis vs Vergil Ortiz Jr
There is clearly no love lost between Hearn and De La Hoya but, regardless, the two rivals are seemingly eager to pit their promotional stables against one another in a potential five vs five showdown.
Following Boots’ victory, De La Hoya expressed his desire to see a main-event dustup between the welterweight champion and his unbeaten contender, Ortiz Jr.
The two-time Hall of Fame inductee also mooted several more matchups between Golden Boy and Matchroom fighters, including the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.
But still, De La Hoya remains well aware of the fact that, without the involvement of boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, these five fights are likely to remain in the realm of fantasy.