Eddie Hearn nonetheless can’t say for sure that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will battle WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. subsequent. The Matchroom promoter Hearn says, “Possibly” the Ennis vs. Vergil Jr. conflict will occur on February twenty second. He expects an announcement quickly.
Ennis appeared like the image of a mentally shattered individual after his latest battle towards Karen Chukhadzhian on November ninth. He had a vacant thousand-yard stare and will inform that he was going to be haunted by that efficiency each day.
That’s why it’s dangerous for Ennis to leap into the Vergil Jr. battle with no rebuild job of two or three confidence boosters.
Boot’s Should Determine
Ennis nonetheless hasn’t determined if he’ll take the battle, which alerts that he and his promoter, Hearn, are anxious about what might occur if he strikes as much as 154 to battle Vergil. Ennis appeared actually dangerous in his final battle towards Karen Chukhadzhian on November ninth and didn’t carry out effectively in his match earlier than that towards David Avanesyan.
Boots is confronted with a giant resolution: Ought to he vacate his IBF welterweight title and transfer as much as 154 or keep the place he’s at, defending towards lesser opposition?
No matter he decides, it’ll mirror his self-confidence. At this level, it seems like he’s misplaced his self-belief and can doubtless keep at 147 to proceed to defend his belt.
Shifting as much as 154 would imply that Ennis could be moving into the unknown, which might be a catastrophe for him. Vergil Jr. can punch, and Boots just isn’t precisely troublesome to hit.
Few individuals consider Ennis could be victorious towards Vergil as a result of he doesn’t seem like he’s an elite-level fighter proper now. You possibly can inform that Hearn has misplaced religion in Ennis after watching his final two performances towards Chukhadzhian and Avanesyan.
Hearn states that Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) will resolve if he needs to face the unbeaten Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) subsequent. He prefers the battle happen at 147 for his IBF welterweight belt, however that’s not doable as a result of Vergil, 26, is simply too huge to soften right down to that weight class.
Vergil has been preventing at 154 for his final three fights since 2022, and it might take an excessive amount of of him to return to the division.
Announcement Quickly
“Possibly,” stated Eddie Hearn to the media when requested if the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis battle will likely be taking place on February twenty second. “We’ve got been in discussions. Clearly, Boots would quite battle at 147, however Vergil gained’t battle there. He moved to 154.
“I feel there will likely be an announcement very quickly for February twenty second. The issue is it’s Thanksgiving at present, which isn’t simple. It’s like me making an attempt to barter a cope with a UK fighter on Christmas Day. We just like the battle, however Boots has to decide.
“Do you do away with the [IBF welterweight] belt, or do you progress? I don’t know which method he’s going to go,” stated Hearn.
