Former Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza refuses to fault Jaron “Boot” Ennis for his inability to strike a deal to fight Vergil Ortiz Jnr next year.
The proposed fight between Ennis and Ortiz, which had been targeted for February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, fell through after both camps failed to agree to a deal.
But since the fight was announced to have fallen through, many boxing enthusiasts have criticized Ennis for ducking Ortiz, an allegation Espinoza refuted.
“We talk about narratives in the sport of boxing, and the reactions that I’ve seen are insane,” Espinoza told Fight Hype TV on the sidelines of Tuesday’s Gervonta “Tank” Davis-Lamont Roach press conference in Brooklyn, New York.
“Boots don’t duck anybody. He never has and never will. Bozy [Ennis’ father and trainer], that’s not the kind of fighter that he trains. It’s not the kind of son that he raised. There is not an ounce of hesitation in Boots, in fighting Ortiz, [Terence] Crawford or anybody at 147 and 154.”
In replacement, former 154-pound titleholder Israil Madrimov has been lined up to take on Ortiz on the Riyadh card. Ennis, on the other hand, has yet to decide which direction to go next, having stated that he would be willing to take up a unification bout at 147.
Philadelphia’s Ennis, 33-0 (29 KOs), has fought twice under Matchroom Boxing after signing a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s outfit eight months ago. Ennis had been the toast of promotional outfits, with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) chasing his signature before he opted to join Matchroom Boxing.
However, Ennis has struggled to land the top fights at 147 and 154 since joining Matchroom, instead fighting David Avanesyan and Karen Chukhadzhian as a consolation. According to Espinoza, Ennis needs a career-defining fight as soon as possible.
“I understand why he went elsewhere,” Espinoza said. “I’m sure he’s not looking back and saying ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,’ and I’m not going to say that either. I think he had up-front words in his mouth, but reading the situation, I think he was concerned about what the future of PBC would be and their ability to keep him busy, and I think that’s why he looked elsewhere.
“But there’s a tradeoff for that. I think looking forward to his career, it is critical that he gets that big fight as soon as possible – and whether it’s at 147 or 154.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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