Eddie Hearn says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has given him orders to arrange unification fights against other belt holders at 147. Hearn’s instructions from undefeated IBF light heavyweight champion Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) for 2025. it doesn’t look good, however, because the champions want big money.
Hearn says Teofimo Lopez or moving to 154 to fight Virgil Ortiz Jr. possible if the struggle for the unification of Ennis cannot be waged. We’ll see if any of that happens for Ennis in the new year.
Hearn will need serious money to lure any light heavyweight champion to fight Ennis.
Greed in the light heavyweight division?
Many of them are probably waiting and hoping that Turki Alalahik will offer them a fight on his Riyadh season cards. They would be happy to fight for millions, making an easy defense against a soft opponent rather than lose their titles to Boots for little money.
“Are the strict instructions from (Ennis) ‘I want to unify, and if I can’t unify, I’m either going to go to 154 and fight (Virgil) Ortiz, or I could potentially fight Teofimo Lopez.’ “I like the Lopez fight, but all he wants to do is unify,” Eddie Hearn said. Fight Hub TV on Jaron ‘Boots’s Ennis.
Boots may have to decide whether to move up or stay at 147 to face Teofimo soon as it doesn’t look promising for his promoter Hearn to arrange the unification fights he craves. Turki could help Ennis’ situation, and we’ll see if that happens next year.
Ennis’ poor performance against Karen Chukadjian on November 9 was another reason why his popularity failed to grow. Unlike other fighters like Gervonta Davis, Boots can’t fight anyone and expects fans to want to pay to see him.
147 or 154?
He needs the big fights that have eluded him so far. He would have helped himself if he accepted the offer to move up to 154 to challenge Virgil Ortiz Jr. for his belt. Ennis remains fixated on capturing the 147-pound belts.
He wants to follow in Terence Crawford’s footsteps, but it took him years to do it. Even then, it didn’t happen until he was in his mid-thirties.