Promoter Eddie Hearn named the five fighters he would like to face Oscar De La Hoya’s five in a Golden Boy Promotions vs. Matchroom 5 vs. 5 event.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
One of the matchups that Hearn wants is for his fighter, IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, to defend against Ryan Garcia of Golden Boy. That would be an unfair sporting event, considering that Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) has yet to debut at 147.
A better choice would be for Shakur Stevenson to face Ryan Garcia. That fight would attract much more fan interest than Boots Ennis, who lacks charisma and has a bad habit of repeating himself in interviews. Shakur must show whether he’s the future “Global superstar” that Hearn has been raving about.
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) is huge for the 147-lb division and should be fighting at 154 against the top fighters. He’s reluctant to make the move, and already fans are beginning to suspect that he’s afraid of mixing it up with the top talents, Terence Crawford, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, and Serhii Bohachuk.
Hearn’s Dream 5 vs 5 card
– Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs Ryan Garcia
– Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda
– Israil Madrimov vs Vergil Ortiz
– Jai Opetaia vs Gilberto Ramirez
– Jack Catterall vs Jose Ramirez
The match between Hearn’s fighter, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, and Golden Boy’s William Zepeda is expected to occur on February 22nd in Riyadh. Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) must still win his fight against Tevin Farmer on November 16th on Latino Night in Riyadh.
If Zepeda wins that, he’ll likely face Shakur next if the champion doesn’t suffer a setback with his recent hand injury. Shakur had surgery to repair the problem, but it’s unclear whether he can make it through training camp without getting injured again. The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.
WBA Cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez fights WBO champ Chris Billiam-Smith on November 16th, and that’s a toss-up fight. Ramirez could lose.
Light welterweight contender Jack Catterall would be a poor choice for Hearn to put in a 5 vs 5 event against former unified 140-lb champion Jose Ramirez. A better choice for Hearn would be to pick the winner of the December 7th fight between IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins against Ramirez. Hearn promotes Paro and Hitchins.
Boots v Ryan, Shakur v Zepeda, Ortiz v Madrimov, Zurdo v Opetaia, Catterall v Ramirez = easy work! https://t.co/PcIwoQ9oAC
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) November 6, 2024
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