Commentator Chris Algieri thinks Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis could “easily” become the biggest star in boxing, but he questions whether he can get the important fights needed to make that leap.
The Need for Financial Backing
Ennis needs someone with the financial means to set up the fights he needs. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is the person Boots needs, but it’s unclear if he would be willing to assist him. Turki is high on certain fighters, like Terence Crawford and the British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) is 27 years old and not a household name. Compared to great fighters from the past, like Oscar De La Hoya, Boots Ennis’ career is nowhere near where the ‘Golden Boy’ was when he was 27.
By the time De Loya was 27, he’d already captured four division world titles. He fought these well-known fighters: Julio Cesar Chavez, Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Oba Carr, Jesse James Leija, Miguel Gonzalez, Genaro Hernandez, and Rafael Ruelas.
Boots Ennis has been poorly promoted, and it’s questionable whether things will turn around for him anytime soon.
Ennis’ new promoter, Eddie Hearn, who was thought to have deep pockets, balked at paying $2.2 million to negotiate a unification fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. last week.
Hearn also lost a purse bid for Boots to defend against his mandatory IBF opponent, Karen Chukhadzhian. Ennis’s dream of becoming undisputed champion at welterweight would appear to be over. Still, if he chooses to stay with that dream, it will take many years for that to happen if Hearn is having problems negotiating fights for him against the other champions at 147.
Promotional Challenges
“Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis could easily take over the sport. He’s one of the best fighters in the world today, one of the most talented guys around,” said commentator Chris Algieri to the Probox TV forum, discussing the untapped potential of IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
It doesn’t seem realistic that Boots will “take over the sport” because he would need a promoter willing to invest in his career and the purses required to get the reluctant fighters to face Ennis. Hearn doesn’t seem interested in doing that, as we saw in his failed negotiations with Norman Jr. and his loss of the purse bid for the Karen fight.
“He’s not getting the fights. People don’t know who he is,” said Algieri. “So, I think a lot of it has to do with the sport today in terms of not making the fights happen that people need to see. It’s not as much that it’s just the welterweight division because there are some talented guys and some names.
“Unfortunately, we’re not getting these fights, and negotiating is becoming more and more difficult to make these fights,” said Algieri.
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