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Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis claims he didn’t know what was happening with the Vergil Ortiz Jr. scenario when he opted to not comply with struggle him on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s February twenty second Riyadh Season card.
In an interview, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) initially mentioned it was a “miscommunication,” and he wasn’t within the loop for the Vergil Jr. talks. Nonetheless, in the identical interview, Ennis admits that he selected to not struggle Ortiz as a result of he needed to remain at 147 and attempt to unify the division.
Curiously, when Boots was requested about his earlier remarks about being keen to go as much as 154 to struggle Terence Crawford, he mentioned that’s completely different as a result of he’s a future Corridor of Famer. So, he would transfer as much as 154, however he must be a large struggle towards Crawford.
Followers nonetheless assume Ennis ducked Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), contemplating he would have gotten a giant payday and elevated his possibilities of getting a struggle with Crawford.
If Boots moved as much as junior middleweight, he would at the least have an opportunity of getting that struggle. Staying at 147 offers him no alternative as a result of he’s in a special weight class, combating much less well-liked fighters.
“Out Of The Loop”
“I reached out to everybody involved to get down to the bottom of what was going on and it was a bunch of miscommunication. I got 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 will be more in tune of what’s going on,” mentioned Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to YSM Sports activities Media, claiming he didn’t know what was happening when with the Vergil Ortiz Jr. struggle that he selected to not take.
“They called on the deadline [for the February 22nd card], and I was undecided,” mentioned Ennis about why he didn’t take the struggle with Vergil Jr. “I want to unify or be undisputed. Everybody was calling me an ‘Email champion’ because I was never able to take a title from somebody. I was given a belt. I never got that feeling of winning a world title and taking it from somebody,” mentioned Boots.
One other downside is all of the champions are tied up at 147, they usually’re not going free. In the event that they do develop into out there, Boots’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, would wish to fulfill their asking value. He failed to try this with WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., Mario Barrios, or WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis. If Ennis stays at 147 in 2025, it’s attainable that Hearn gained’t be capable of arrange a unification struggle for him.
“Terence Crawford is a future Hall of Famer,” mentioned Ennis, when requested why he’d be keen to go as much as 154 to struggle Crawford if given the chance however NOT Vergil Ortiz Jr. “It’s the same thing him trying to get Canelo. Going up to 168 and only fighting Canelo, but nobody else at 168. It’s the same thing.”
If Ennis is keen to maneuver as much as 154 to struggle Crawford, he ought to have moved as much as struggle Vergil as a result of it seems unhealthy that he selected to not struggle him on Turki’s card on February twenty second.
Validation At 147
“2025, my next bout is a unification. Like I said before. I got to get my hands on one of those belts [at 147],” mentioned Ennis. “I received to get that feeling from taking a belt from anyone. I’ve but to really feel that feeling, and I really feel like that’s what I would like for my profession and my legacy.
“I need that feeling from taking a belt from somebody. I feel like that will stamp myself. I’ll feel better about myself at 147,” mentioned Ennis.
