Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr were set to lock horns on February 22, with their fiercely anticipated battle featuring on a stacked Riyadh Season card.
The card, spearheaded by boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, promises to deliver a compelling night of action, culminating in a heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
Another potential matchup that has largely captured the imagination of fans is between Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, two of American boxing’s most promising talents.
But now, it appears that the pair are set to go their separate ways, with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn highlighting a different plan for ‘Boots.’
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Eddie Hearn believes that Jaron Ennis will stay at welterweight
Initially, Ortiz had mentioned world super welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora as two possible opponents for his next assignment.
The 26-year-old had, after all, claimed the WBC interim belt in his last outing at 154 lbs, edging a majority decision against crafty operator Serhii Bohachuk.
But then, it seemed as though IBF welterweight titlist Ennis had become the front runner to face Ortiz next, with most fans assuming that he would move up to super welterweight.
The 27-year-old has also expressed a desire to unify his division, though, targeting the likes of WBC champion Mario Barrios and WBO titlist Brian Norman Jr.
And so, while a showdown against Ortiz is likely to be his most lucrative option, Ennis is yet to reach a decision regarding the future of his career.
“We received a letter from Riyadh Season about three days ago, maybe two days ago, saying, ‘here’s the number to fight Vergil Ortiz at 147 lbs for the world title,’” Hearn, Ennis’ promoter, told BoxNation.
“Obviously, that’s a no brainer for us. [So] we went back, and they said, ‘no, sorry, we’ve spoken to Golden Boy [Promotions] – it’s at 154 [lbs].’
“And we said, ‘we don’t know if we’re moving up or not’ – it’s a big decision for Jaron Ennis. My gut feeling is he’ll unify [at welterweight].”
Was Jaron Ennis rushed into a decision on whether to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr?
Alalshikh, of course, is desperate to finalise the card he has been working on for February, perhaps hoping that Ortiz vs. Ennis was a done deal.
However, it seems that the Saudi boxing chief made the fatal mistake of believing that all parties would be amenable to his demands.
Instead, Ennis has seemingly ruled himself out of the mouthwatering dustup, not wishing to make any hasty decisions on his career.
Alalshikh and Golden Boy promotions, meanwhile, must now focus on securing a replacement opponent for Ortiz.