Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will NOT fight WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on the card of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season on February 22.
Ennis-Ortiz Fight
Dan Rafael reports that the deal fell apart between Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) and Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs0) after they agreed. No reason has been given as to why the deal fell apart.
It is not expected that this fight will not happen because promoter Eddie Hearn has been saying in interviews since Thursday that Ennis’ promotion could mean relinquishing his IBF welterweight title. He wanted to try to set up fights to unify the other 147-lb champions.
Was Ennis Scared?
Some fans believe Ennis lacks confidence fight young phenom Vergil Ortiz Jr., as he will be the underdog. In addition, it would be a tough fight for Ennis to make his debut at 154. He doesn’t have great defensive skills, and getting hit repeatedly by a big puncher like Vergil Jr. it will not be good for him.
Ennis looked unhappy after winning a tougher-than-expected 12-round decision over Karen Chukhadzhian in their rematch on November 9th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. He was heavily beaten by Karen and was boxed out for the rest of the fight. Ennis’ work rate and strength saved him from the loss, but he still looked awful.
In his last fight with Serhii Bohachuk, Vergil showed that he can do it all—punch, box and move. His adaptability was impressive in that fight. Ennis may lose to Vergil, derailing his promising career.
Fundora A possibility?
“The parties had agreed on the fight, which was supposed to be part of the main card Turki Alalshikh from Saudi Arabia will meet at the Riyadh Season event on February 22. The fight intensified on Friday, leaving the promoters looking for a new opponent. fight with Ortiz, [according to] many sources,” said Dan Rafael on his site.
“The Saudis contacted the promoter of Sebastian Fundora, who holds the WBC/WBO junior middleweight title, Sampson Lewkowicz, to see if they like the game.
WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora could be a good option for Vergil Jr. to fight on February 22 if an agreement cannot be negotiated immediately. There’s plenty of time for Fundora to prepare for battle, as long as she’s not dealing with injuries or scheduled to fight someone.
If Ennis chooses to stay at 147, he can remain champion for a long time because the division is weak, and he is considered the top dog there. It would be great if Hearn could set up fights for Ennis to become the undisputed champion by beating these three belt holders:
– Eimantas Stanionis: WBA
– Brian Norman Jr: WBO
– Mario Barrios: WBC
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