Everyone is waiting for the long-anticipated showdown between two elite American fighters, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis. After their face-to-face following Boots’ victory last October, all the talk has been about the two of them competing for the super welterweight crown. However, negotiations are proving more difficult than expected, as recently admitted by promoter Eddie Hearn.
These are the words of the head of Matchroom Boxing:
“No, is the answer [to having updates for the fight]. We are kind of waiting in hope. We keep being told that things are progressing, but then we don’t really get anywhere. We will have to make a move soon. Boots is due to fight at the end of March. Could that go to April? Maybe. But we don’t want it to. We have to make our own moves. With all due respect to Vergil Ortiz, he doesn’t do anything other than people saying he might be the best 154-pounder in the world. And that’s the same for Jaron as well.
“That’s why the fight makes so much sense, because it’s the best facing the best. It’s not like Ortiz is the champion and we have to sing to his tune. We’re being as courteous as we can, but sooner or later, we are going to have to make another move. It will be a very sad day for boxing if Vergil Ortiz doesn’t take that fight, because everyone knows that’s the best fight that can be made in American boxing right now.”
Words that suggest a slowdown in the negotiations — a slowdown also confirmed by Ortiz himself. In short, it seems that both sides want the fight, but a real agreement still can’t be found.
A matchup between these two fighters would be spectacular: two world-class boxers, two phenoms, the best against the best — exactly what boxing truly needs, as opposed to the theatrics we’ve seen lately.
Hearn also stated that Ennis could face Josh Kelly if the Englishman were to defeat IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev on January 31.
“Josh Kelly can win that fight,” Hearn said, “and if he wins that fight, we already have an agreement in place for him to fight Boots Ennis.”
So will securing the IBF belt be a necessary step before finalizing the most anticipated fight of all? Time will tell, but boxing fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting this clash of titans.