Jaron Ennis defeated Karen Chukhadzhian, raising question marks over his next steps.
Boot defeated Chukhadzhian in in his hometown of Philadelphia as he looked towards the future. It was not the best performance as Boots was caught on several occasions. Ennis could have several unification fights at welterweight. Before the Karen fight, he was linked with a fight against the WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr. Reports indicate that Eddie Hearn offered $1.7 million to make that fight. However, Norman Jr.’s team allegedly wanted $2.2 million as talks broke down. Ennis could return to the negotiating table and offer the sums Norman Jr. wanted to finally get that fight over the line.
Ennis’ Options
It would also allow Boots to have a big-name win on his resume since his biggest victory currently could arguably be Roiman Villa. There is also the opportunity to take on the WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios. Barrios will box Abel Ramos on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card on November 15. That offers him a big platform to present his skills to a crossover fan base. This is significant since he was reportedly in talks to fight Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a blockbuster event and arguably allowed him to score the biggest win of his career. But since that did not happen, a unification against Ennis could be the next best thing.
There is also an opportunity against the WBA Welterweight Champion, Eimantas Stanionis. Stanionis is a credible opponent with a 15-0 record, which includes nine knockouts. A win over Stanionis gives Boots a win over a dangerous welterweight, which he has been accused of not having. That will also silence any critics who suggest that Ennis does not want to face the best. This is especially given that the Karen fight had received so much criticism after Boots had already beaten him last year. The other option is to move up to 154 pounds.
Ennis Vs. Ortiz Jr.
Oscar De La Hoya recently confirmed that he wanted a 5 vs 5 against Eddie Hearn. One of the names mentioned was Ennis against Virgil Ortiz Jr. The latter is considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport of boxing. He has a 22-0 record with 21 KOs. Ortiz is coming off a majority decision victory against Serhii Bohachuk, where he had to get off the canvas twice. Based on that performance, Boots may fancy his chances. Ortiz is also the WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Champion, giving Boots an opportunity to secure a world title shot against Sebastian Fundora if he beats him. Hearn revealed before the Karen fight that talks had began for an Ortiz fight.
“I think it might be time to go to ’54. I felt good but I feel like at ’54 I’ll be way better and my pop will be where it’s supposed to be,” Ennis said
“There’s negotiations going on behind the scenes for a potential Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz already in Saudi. I think Bozy might be referring to an earlier time when we looked to make the fight when the original mandatory was called, and we were deciding whether we were going to do it. Ortiz against Ennis is a massive fight, and it’s probably going to take His Excellency to come up with a number to get that in,” Hearn stated
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