By Keith Idec
PHILADELPHIA – Eddie Hearn realizes Jaron Ennis have to be higher in each manner than he was Saturday evening if he’s to beat Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The unbeaten IBF welterweight champion would want to coach more durable and combat smarter if Ennis agrees to oppose Ortiz subsequent in what can be an intriguing junior middleweight match. Ennis’ promoter stays assured, nonetheless, that the fighter nicknamed “Boots” is greater than able to defeating Ortiz, a knockout artist who owns the WBC interim tremendous welterweight title.
Now that Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs, 1 NC) has made a mandated title defence in opposition to Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs), Hearn expects Saudi Arabian combat financier Turki Alalshikh to make a profitable supply for Ennis to maneuver up seven kilos for a combat with Ortiz, which might happen within the Saudi capital of Riyadh. It’ll be as much as Ennis and his father/coach/supervisor, Derek “Bozy” Ennis, to determine whether or not to just accept that higher-profile combat or proceed chasing welterweight title unification bouts.
“It depends upon the monetary package deal, depends upon what we wanna do long run, relies upon if we don’t wanna return to 147,” Hearn said throughout Ennis’ post-fight press convention. “You realize, the explanation that we fought Chukhadzhian tonight was as a result of Boots had a want to seize the opposite championships at 147. So, we gotta assessment that place, we’ve gotta have a look at the choice in opposition to Vergil Ortiz, we gotta have a look at the monetary package deal for that combat as nicely.
“As a result of, as nicely, don’t overlook, you realize, a win over somebody like Vergil Ortiz, on a Riyadh Season card, is gonna take his profile to a different stage. So, it’s gonna be very tempting. And, by the best way, it’s an excellent combat, an excellent combat. I imply, Boots in opposition to Vergil Ortiz is likely one of the finest fights on the market to be made, not simply within the division, however in boxing – two super younger fighters.”
It’s nonetheless essential to Ennis to turn into boxing’s second undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt period. Attaining that objective would require him to beat WBO champ Brian Norman (26-0, 20 KOs), WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) and the winner between WBC champ Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Abel Ramos (28-6-2, 22 KOs) on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Ennis can be open, in accordance with his post-fight feedback Saturday evening, to transferring as much as field Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas.
“Like I at all times say, I wanna combat the perfect,” Ennis stated. “I don’t attempt to combat simple, no bottom-tier guys. You realize, whenever you combat the perfect, you gonna be higher.”
Philadelphia’s Ennis wasn’t higher in his rematch with Chukhadzhian than he was when he shut out Chukhadzhian on all three scorecards, 120-108 apiece, in January 2023 on the Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia undercard at Capital One Enviornment in Washington, D.C. A extra aggressive Chukhadzhian hit him rather more throughout their second 12-rounder, throughout which Ennis carried out sloppily and didn’t defend himself nicely whereas urgent for a knockout at instances in a principal occasion DAZN streamed from Wells Fargo Middle.
Ennis nonetheless gained comfortably, in accordance with judges Dave Braslow (119-107), Eric Marlinski (117-109) and Steve Weisfeld (116-110), who respectively scored 11, 9 and eight rounds for the closely favoured champion. Hearn envisions a extra motivated, sharper Ennis if he had been to battle Barrios, Ramos, Norman, Stanionis or Ortiz.
“Towards Barrios, in opposition to Stanionis, in opposition to Norman, it’s gonna be totally different,” Hearn stated. “And in opposition to Ortiz it’s gonna be totally different. And the efficiency has acquired to be totally different, as a result of he is aware of and Bozy is aware of that efficiency won’t be adequate to beat a type of guys. However will probably be a special efficiency from Boots in opposition to a type of guys. Don’t fear about that, however now we acquired a very huge choice to make.
“I by no means like giving up world titles, however typically the time is true. And, you realize, we could get a considerable supply to combat Vergil Ortiz in Saudi Arabia. After which, from there, it’s on Jaron and Bozy. That’s it. And he’ll get my recommendation, however these are the fellows that may make the choice. However, for me, I feel it’s solely unification or Ortiz. That’s it.”
