Eddie Hearn says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ first priority is to exhaust all efforts in making a unification fight next rather than face Teofimo Lopez.
The Matchroom promoter, Hearn, states that if he can’t negotiate a deal for Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios or WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis, he’ll look into setting up a fight with Teofimo and Ennis. That would be a joint PPV match on DAZN and ESPN.
Teofimo On Hold
Fans were looking forward to Boots facing Teofimo Lopez next. They will be disappointed if Ennis chooses to fight a unification against Barrios or Stanionis, as neither of those guys is popular and seen as mere belt-holders.
Hearn says Ennis is focusing on unifying the 147-lb division because he’s “Not” a 154-lb fighter yet. That’s why he’s not accepted the offer to move up to junior middleweight to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim title on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s February 22nd Riyadh Season card.
Eddie points out that Conor Benn is interested in fighting Barrios for his WBC title next, and that fight could happen. WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman wants a tune-up next, so he’s not available for Ennis to fight. That leaves only WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis as the main option for Ennis’s next contest.
“The decision was not to [move up to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr]. I feel sorry for Jaron, but ultimately, he’s not a 154-pound fighter yet. If he was, he’d be fighting Vergil Ortiz,” said Eddie Hearn on Fight Hub TV about why Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis didn’t accept the offer to challenge WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22nd.
“We’re chasing the unification fights. Teofimo Lopez, you’ve seen the stuff on that. We [Ennis] actually love that fight, but he still wants to unify. So, if we can’t unify, he’s got a decision to fight Teofimo Lopez.
“If he had gone to 154 and not fought Vergil Ortiz, I would understand the criticism. We’re 100% staying at 147 for the next fight and maybe another one, but we have to deliver that unification,” said Hearn.
This isn’t going to go over well with fans if Boots chooses to go in the direction of a unification against one of the 147-lb champions rather than face Teofimo next. He already looks like a duck for choosing not to face Vergil Ortiz at 154 on the February 22nd card in Riyadh.
If Ennis decides to skip a mega-fight against Lopez in favor of a lackluster unification match at welterweight against Stanionis or Barrios, it will conform in the minds of people that he lacks ambition and courage.
“The offer is to do it on DAZN PPV and ESPN PPV,” said Hearn about the offer he received for a fight between Teofimo Lopez and Boots Ennis. “He [Jaron] really needs a big fight, and he wants that big fight to be a unification.
“If we can’t get a unification, we have to look at the other options [for Ennis]. The other options could be Teofimo Lopez or Vergil Ortiz. He’s just not moving to 154 yet. I promise you. He will either be in a unification or in a massive fight next.”
Obviously, the Vergil Jr. fight isn’t an option for Boots’ next fight because he’s already chosen not to take that match. Ortiz Jr. has an opponent for the February 22nd card, Israil Madrimov now. So, it’s too late for Ennis to take that option after his refusal.
If Hearn can’t negotiate a unification fight for IBF welterweight champion Jaron against WBC champ Barrios or WBA belt-holder Stanionis, Teofimo is the only option. Eddie and Boots are going to have to move quickly if they want to have the option of using Lopez as a third choice because he’s not going to wait around forever.
“For me, I love the [Teofimo] fight, but for him [Boots], it’s not the money. He wants to unify the division,” said Hearn. “That’s the absolute target and goal. So, when I went to him about Teoifmo, ‘Oh, that’s a cool fight, but you’ve got to push for the champions [at 147].’ I said, ‘I will, but this is also on the table.’
“The first priority is to exhaust all options on the champions, and then if not, I think that’s [Teofimo] a great fight. We’re negotiating with Stanionis. We’re negotiating with Barrios. Brian Norman won’t take the fight. He wants a warm-up fight first, and that’s it. It’s pretty transparent.
“We’ve got to try and close Stanionis or Barrios, or we look at Teo, or if he [Boots] does want to move up, he’s got to go straight into that Vergil Ortiz fight. We’re not going to go into any other fight because people like that fight, and that’s a fight that we really like as well,” said Hearn.
