Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he’s “frustrated” after a fight offer his team sent to WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. was “turned down” for a potential unification fight.
Boots Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) states that the offer was made two days ago, but Team Norman Jr. did not accept it. Ennis, 27, says he wants to stay at welterweight long enough to collect the three belts he needs to become undisputed.
147-lb Title Landscape
Brian Norman Jr: WBO
Mario Barrios: WBC
Eimantas Stanionis: WBA
The naive Boots may have underestimated the problems he would have getting the three champions to agree to fight him. Ennis isn’t a PPV superstar yet, so the money the other champions would get fighting him might not be enough unless his promoter, Eddie Hearn, beefs it up to millions.
Norman Jr., the Big Fish
WBO champion Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) is viewed as the best of the three remaining champions that Ennis must fight to become undisputed. However, it won’t be easy for him to lure this big fish to take the hook because, understandably, he will want mega-money to fight him.
Everyone knows Ennis is the best fighter in the 147. So, champions like Norman Jr. aren’t going to agree to fight Boots unless it’s worthwhile. With most, if not all, of them having very little chance of beating Ennis, they’re essentially selling their titles to him for the highest price.
It would be a different story if those fights were seen as 50-50, but none of them are, even with Norman Jr. He’s not in the same league as Boots talent-wise.
“An offer was sent two days ago. Someone sent me something where they said they would fight me at home, too. We sent an offer two days ago. They turned it down,” said Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to the YSM Sports Media YouTube site about an offer being sent to WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. about putting together a unification.
If Boots Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn is open to paying Brian Norman Jr. a King’s ransom in gold bullion, he shouldn’t have any problems getting him to agree to take the fight with him. But apart from that, it’s not happening because Norman can make good cash defending against Teofimo Lopez, who is eager to move up to 147 to become a three-division world champion.
“I don’t care,” said Boots when told that Brian Norman Sr. said he wanted to save him for last. “I want to collect these belts. I’m just frustrated. I don’t want to have no backward fights. My whole thing is to be undisputed [at 147] and collect these belts.”
Time To Move On?
At some point, Boots Ennis may need to cut bait and give up on his near-hopeless goal of becoming undisputed champion at 147. It would be worth it if the division were stacked with talent for big-money fights, but it’s not.
All the popular fighters are at 154, and Boots is wasting his youth and time with his silly goal of trying to become the undisputed champion against a weak, unpopular set of belt-holders at welterweight.
“My mindset is focused on the WBC, WBO and WBA. I want to collect these belts. The Ring Magazine, I want to be undisputed,” said Ennis.
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