Eddie Hearn says if he can’t line up a fight for Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis against Vergil Ortiz Jr. next, he’s going to shoot for a title fight for him against one of the four world champions at 154.
Thus far, Hearn isn’t sure if he can deliver the Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) fight for Ennis, because he’s not heard anything back from his promoters at Golden Boy. It’s definitely not a good sign that there’s no follow-through.
WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz still needs to win his fight against Erickson Lubin on November 8th.
Vergil’s Punishing Recent Fights
Given how Vergil absorbed huge punishment in his last two fights against Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk, he may lose to Erickson. His face looked like it had been run over by a truck after both fights, and Lubin could take advantage of that. He’s facing Ortiz, 27, at the right time.
A lot of fans thought Vergil Jr. lost his fight against Bohachuk on August 10, 2024. The judges gave Ortiz Jr. a 12-round majority decision, but it sure looked like he was the beaten fighter. He was down twice in the Bohachuk fight, once in rounds one and eight.
Hearn’s Target List at 154
“Murtazaliev, Fundora, Abass Baraou and Zayas,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV when asked what the order of champions at 154 is that he wants Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to target next if he can’t get the fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“I don’t care. We must unify again at 154. That’s what we must do, and we want to win all the belts,” said Hearn. “He’ll [Ennis] be at 160 soon enough, and he’ll destroy. He ain’t going to lose. There’s only one person [Terence Crawford] that I can’t sit here and say, and we wanted that fight for a long time.”
Interim Belt Isn’t a Real Title
I’m confused. The last time I checked, Ennis still hasn’t won a world title unless you count the WBA interim junior middleweight title he won against Uisma Lima last Saturday night. An interim belt isn’t a proper title. To capture the WBA title, Ennis will need to dethrone Abass Baraou, and that won’t be easy.
154 Pounds — A Dead-End Division?
What Hearn and Ennis should do is give up on the 154-lb division. There’s no one there who will raise Ennis’ status in the boxing world. Also, he’s to be where Crawford is heading next so he can put some pressure on his backside to fight him. ‘Boots’ can’t do that if he’s fighting at 154. That’s a dead end for fighters. As soon as he gets a clue, he’ll be better.
Jeepers Isaac has been covering boxing since 2020, bringing readers sharp ringside insights and timely analysis on the sport’s biggest moments.
