Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis gave fans the good news today on social media, revealing that he’s vacating his WBA and IBF welterweight titles to move up to the junior middleweight division to go after titles.
Boots to 154 lbs
Some fans are pleased with the move because Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) had failed to take the interesting fights that were offered to him. Boots, 27, had spent the last two years talking about the goal of becoming the undisputed 147-lb champion, but only fighting one unification.
Ennis had been underwhelming at 147, opting not to fight Brian Norman Jr. and Teofimo Lopez. Those were the only two interesting fights that he had a chance to face, but he didn’t take them. Fans question whether Ennis will behave in the same way at 154, rejecting fights against the likes of Vergil Ortiz Jr, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, and Xander Zayas.
Health-Driven Move
Boot’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says he was only “50%” for his last fight against WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis last April. He believes that with him moving up to 154, he’ll be at full strength at “100%” and will be a beast in the division.
Boots had looked emaciated, making weight for his welterweight fights for the last two years. It was clear that he needed to move up to 154 because he didn’t look healthy.
At 154, Ennis will have these talented fighters that he could potentially fight:
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Sebastian Fundora
– Tim Tszyu
– Yoenis Tellez
– Xander Zayas
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
Hearn’s 154 lbs Plan
Hearn mentioned the plan that he has for Ennis last week, telling fans that he’ll take a tune-up in August against a “gatekeeper,” and then face Vergil Ortiz Jr. in 2026. He says they would take the fight against Ortiz in August, but he wasn’t ready. Vergil Jr. posted on X today, showing his surgically repaired hand. That’s why he can’t face Ennis in the summer.
ITS TIME! 154😈 YALL SAID THIS WHERE THE SMOKE AT RIGHT!? LETS HAVE IT THEN! 🙃 2X WEIGHT DIVISION CHAMP• 4X TIME WORLD CHAMP LOADING! pic.twitter.com/lhMqP5ryJc
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) June 18, 2025