Oscar De La Hoya gleefully posted an emoji showing his fighter, Vergil Ortiz Jr., holding the prized duck head of Jeron ‘Boots’ Ennis on X today in a catch-up moment that made one of promoter Eddie Hearn’s top fighters look bad.
Hearn said in interviews last weekend that Ennis wants to stay at 147 to unify the division and is concerned about losing the IBF title if he moves to challenge Vergil for the interim WBC 154lb strap.
The cost of avoidance
Fans aren’t buying those excuses from Boots, believing that the real reason he doesn’t want to grow up is because of Virgil Jr.’s power and toughness. They feel fear, and they don’t respect it. Boxing is war, and Ennis shows fear of entering the battlefield. It is better to fight and lose than to retreat, showing your side.
Career Over
Ennis’ career may never be seen in the same light after this move, and he may not understand that now. His popularity will likely never recover from this, which is why he needs to take this fight if there’s still a chance.
This was a dream come true for De La Hoya to kick the sand in the fact that his nemesis, Hearn, who was so high on Boots after signing a multi-fight deal earlier this year in April 2024.
After two pale fights, Ennis’ stock fell with fans, and this latest episode where he chose not to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. was the icing on the cake. Hearn must be beating himself up for making the mistake of signing Ennis instead of using the money to sign someone else.
Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) opted not to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil (22-0, 21 KOs) for his interim WBC junior middleweight title on His Excellency Turki Alalshikha’s giant card on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What makes it worse is that Boots, 27, would reportedly receive a career-high salary to fight Vergil. Turning down the biggest payday of his career suggests he lacked the confidence to win.
😂😂 @VergilOrtiz pic.twitter.com/1k4vE5I5df
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoia) December 2, 2024
Name five ducks today.
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoia) December 2, 2024