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 him on His Excellency's February 22 Riyadh season card Turki Alalshikh.
In an interview, Ennis (33-0, 29 KO) initially said it was a “communication issue” and that he was unaware of 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 Boots was asked about his previous remarks about wanting to go up to 154 to fight Terence Crawford, he responded that it was different because he was a future Hall of Famer. So he would move up to 154, but he would have to put up a massive fight against Crawford.
Fans still believe Ennis dodged Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), considering he would have gotten a big payday and increased his chances of a fight with Crawford.
If Boots moved up to junior middleweight, he would at least have a chance to win this fight. Staying at 147 doesn't give him any opportunities because he's in a different weight class and fights less popular fighters.
“Out of the loop”
“I contacted everyone involved to get to the bottom of what was happening and there were a lot of miscommunications. I had 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,” Jaron “Boots” Ennis told YSM Sports Mediaclaiming he didn't know what was happening in the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight that he chose not to take.
“They called for the deadline [for the February 22nd card]and I was undecided,” Ennis said on why he didn’t accept the fight with Vergil Jr. “I want to unify or be uncontested. Everyone called me “email champion” because I could never take a title from anyone. I was given a belt. I never had the feeling of winning a world title and taking it from someone,” Boots said.
This seems 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 other three welterweight champions are highly regarded. They are considered paper champions with no fan base and won't help Boots' popularity if he beats them.
Another problem is that all champions are tied to 147 and will not be released. If they become available, Boots promoter Eddie Hearn will have to meet the asking price. He failed to do so with WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., Mario Barrios or WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis. If Ennis remains at 147 in 2025, it is possible that Hearn will not be able to arrange a unification fight for him.
“Terence Crawford is a future Hall of Famer,” Ennis said, when asked why he would be willing to move up to 154 to fight Crawford if given the chance, but NOT Vergil Ortiz Jr. “It's the same thing that he's trying to get Canelo. Going up to 168 and only fighting 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 him on Turki's card on February 22.
Validation at 147
“2025, my next fight is unification. As I said before. I gotta get my hands on one of these belts [at 147]”, Ennis said. “I felt that feeling when taking someone's belt. I haven't had that feeling yet, and I feel like that's what I need to my career and my legacy.
“I need that feeling of taking someone’s belt. I have the impression that it will mark me. I’ll feel better about myself at 147,” Ennis said.
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Jaron Ennis,Vergil Ortiz Jr ,
