The Jaron Ennis–Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight might be the most infamous near-miss of recent times. The duo were all set to clash on Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev’s February 22 card in Riyadh. Fans were clamoring for the bout, and a verbal agreement was in place. However, at the last possible moment, their dreams were crushed.
Initially, the cause of the breakdown was a mystery. However, with time, several reporters came out, pointing to Ennis and his team’s insistence on holding the fight at 147lbs. An idea that Ortiz didn’t even entertain. The move attracted lots of criticism to Ennis and Eddie Hearn, though the duo stayed quiet on the matter. Finally, almost four months after the debacle, as the IBF welterweight champion gears up for his title unification bout, Hearn broke his silence.
Jaron Ennis chose his long-held dream
On the weekend, ahead of the Ennis-Stanionis bout, Eddie Hearn sat down with Marcos Villegas for a FightHub TV interview. Villegas didn’t hold back, diving straight into the skepticism swirling around Jaron Ennis. He shared that fans frequently ask, “about Vergil Ortiz. Why did he (Ennis) quote unquote duck a Vergil Ortiz fight?” before pressing Hearn to set the record straight.
The promoter, clearing the air, replied, “He’s (Ennis) the world champion at 147 pounds. The fight was offered at 154 for no title and he wanted to defend his world championship and unify.” Hearn clarified that the Philadelphia native didn’t want to vacate his title and move up without any clear plan. Furthermore, that would have meant putting his dream of welterweight undisputed on hold.
Hearn recalled a conversation he had with Jaron Ennis that cleared all the doubts regarding the future. “He said ‘Look I’ll fight Vergil Ortiz, I’ll fight Crawford, I’ll fight any of them but I really want to unify. That’s been my dream,’” the promoter quoted. However, the timing was not right as Terence Crawford moved up to 154, leaving Boots with a belt without even fighting for it. A storyline he wants to change desperately. “Boots is purely about legacy. He’s about CV. He’s about creating you know iconic moments, to unify the division and stuff like that,” Hearn emphasized.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 30: Jaron Ennis is shown before a welterweight bout against Thomas Dulorme at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 30, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ennis won the fight with a first-round knockout. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
The Matchroom promoter was thankful that the Eimantas Stanionis fight came together because securing the bout was not simple. Furthermore, Hearn admitted that without the unification bout in sight, they might have considered the Vergil Ortiz fight. However, as things stand, Jaron Ennis is going to pursue his lifelong dream of being the undisputed champion, “So all worked out perfectly,” Hearn declared.
Everything indeed worked out perfectly, as Ennis’ victory over Stanionis proved the decision was spot-on. Furthermore, it looks like the Philadelphia native is in no mood to stop as his team might be eyeing a super fight against the former welterweight king, Terence Crawford.
A bout for welterweight supremacy
Following the emphatic victory, promoter Eddie Hearn asked for a matchup against the biggest name in the welterweight division. The promoter was delighted with his fighter’s performance and hunger to prove it. Something that was desperately missing from Jaron Ennis a few months ago.
“So happy because I promised Boots. He says, ‘Get me the best. I want the other belts. I want the champions,’” he stated. Hearn further declared, “I want him to fight Terence Crawford,” putting the 147 division on notice. “It’s one of the greatest fights you will ever see,” he declared.
With Terence Crawford scheduled to fight Canelo Alvarez in September, this bout seems impossible at the moment. However, no one knows the future. Maybe Bud would love to come back to the division he once ruled once again after the Canelo fight. If not, Jaron Ennis, with his two belts, will have more than enough opportunities to carve out his legacy.
How do you rate Jaron Ennis’ performance? Will he ever make a move to 154? Let us know your thoughts down below.
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