The unification fight between IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBO champ Brian Norman Jr is now off the table. Promoter Eddie Hearn says Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) will either defend against his mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian or vacate and move up to 154.
Fans Yearn for Ennis to Face the Elite at 154
Fans would like to see Ennis vacate his IBF title and move up to 154 to go after the big fish like Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz Jr, Tim Tszyu, Serhii Bohachuk, and Israil Madrimov. Boots Ennis doesn’t seem excited about taking those risky fights, and it’s understandable why.
Life is easier for the 27-year-old Philadelphia native, Boots Ennis, feeding off of the guppies in shallows in the welterweight division.
Norman (26-0, 20 KOs) will defend against #7-ranked IBF contender Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) on the undercard of Keyshawn Davis vs. Gustavo Lemos on November 8th at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
The WBO champion Norman Jr turned down Hearn’s $1.5 million offer to fight Ennis, which is either a smart or a foolish move on his part. Given that Norman can make more money as the WBO champion than $1.5 million in the long run, you’d have to say it was wise for him to reject the offer. If Hearn had sweetened the offer to $2 million+, he’d have gotten Norman.
Hearn Floats 154 Move
“Probably move up to 154 and try and find people that really want to fight. Vergil Ortiz, Isrial Madrimov, Terence Crawford; probably not,” said Eddie Hearn to the IFL TV YouTube channel about what Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis may do now that his negotiations with Brian Norman Jr. have fallen apart for a unification fight at welterweight.
It doesn’t seem likely that Boots will give up his IBF title to willingly move up to 154 and take on the dangerous opposition in that weight division. Ennis would be just a contender, and things would be uncertain. Being the big fish in the barren 147-lb division is much different from competing with the sharks at 154, where Ennis could get eaten up.
“Listen, we may fight [Karen] Chukhadzhian, but we’ve already boxed him. He ain’t a bad fighter, by the way, but what is the IBF doing?
