Oscar De La Hoya says he hopes promoter Eddie Hearn keeps his word to make the fight between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. next at 154 for Vergil’s WBC interim junior middleweight title.
Hearn had said that he wanted to make the between Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) and Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), but after the way Boots performed in his rematch with his IBF welterweight mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th, he might have second thoughts.
Hearn Has Gone Quiet
The British promoter, Hearn, has gone quiet about making the Ortiz Jr-Boots fight after Ennis’ poor showing against Chukhadzhian at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
“I’m sticking to what Eddie Hearn said, and hopefully, he keeps his word that Vergil Ortiz vs. Jaron Ennis is next at 154 pounds,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Boxing King Media about his hopes that Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn will make the fight between Boots Ennis and WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. next like he previously said he would.
Chukhadzhian schooled Boots every step of the way, taking countless clean shots to the head in every round. Ennis won because of a knockdown in the fifth when Chukhadzhian took a knee to escape the pressure and a point deduction in round ten.
If Chukhadzhian had been a little bit busier, Ennis would have suffered his first loss. The damage was still done to Boots’ career. Karen officially exposed him, and Hearn has got him serious regrets over signing Ennis in the first place.
Ennis won the fight by the scores 119-107, 117-109 and 116-111. However, it was such an abysmal performance that it showed that it was hopeless for Ennis to move up to 154 to take on the talented contenders and world champions in that division.
Hearn hasn’t been saying much lately about making the fight between Ennis and Vergil. The only thing you can think is that he’s not confident that Ennis can win, and he wants to keep him protected under lock & key, well protected from Ortiz Jr. ruining his unbeaten record.
Boots Can’t Afford A Loss To Vergil Jr.
Look at it from Hearn’s likely point of view. If Vergil Ortiz beats Ennis, all the time, money, and effort that Hearn has poured into turning him into a superstar will have been wasted. Hearn would be left with beaten Ennis, needing an expensive rebuild job, and lacking the charisma or popularity for him to undertake that monumental task.
Hearn would be stuck with a useless fighter, Boots, who lacks charisma. He would have no choice but to eat the remainder of his contract or release him if he had an escape clause.
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