A two-week ordeal for Jolene Mizzone, manager of WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr., is nearing its conclusion. The tense period of public negotiations with IBF champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis appears to have ended with P2M Box Promotions, the promoter of Karen Chukhadzhian, winning the purse bid for Ennis’ mandatory title defense against their fighter Chukhadzhian. The bout, a rematch of their January 2023 fight that Ennis won by unanimous decision, will be set for later this year.
Meanwhile, Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) has been confirmed by multiple representatives to return to the ring on November 8 on the Keyshawn Davis-Gustavo Lemos card in Norfolk, Va., where he will face Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs).
Norman, 23, had received an offer to fight Ennis, but the financial terms did not meet his team’s expectations. Especially for Mizzone, who is the former matchmaker for Main Events, and has done deals on both sides.
“We went back and forth and came to a number that made sense,” Mizzone said. “With my experience as a former promoter, I knew that Matchroom and Boots were in a tough spot. They had a mandatory defense against a fighter they’d already beaten, and to avoid that, they needed to fight someone like us, Eimantas Stanionis, or Mario Barrios. We realized we were in a strong position, so we didn’t overprice ourselves – we just asked for what was fair.”
The situation was further complicated by the fact that Norman would be stepping into Ennis’ home territory. Reflecting on the situation, Mizzone said: “I’ve been in this situation before, where a promoter has to go to the champion and say, ‘You’re not going to get your usual amount because we need to make this fight happen.’ But no such concessions were made during our negotiations. Everyone’s saying we overpriced ourselves, but did we? Now Boots has to go fight in Germany instead of having a big fight in Philadelphia.
“As a manager, it’s our job to get the best deal for our fighter,” Mizzone said. “This would have been the highest payday Brian Norman has ever been offered, but that doesn’t mean he should take the fight for less than he’s worth.”
The negotiations ultimately fell through, sparking speculation – particularly on social media – that Norman was “ducking” Ennis. Mizzone was quick to refute these claims.
“People can say what they want, but there’s no ducking on Brian Norman’s part,” Mizzone said. “As managers, we have to look out for our fighter’s best interests. Matchroom didn’t want to pay what we asked, which is fine, but we weren’t going to sell ourselves short.”
The story took another turn this morning when Matchroom’s recent purse bid for Ennis’ title defense fell short, an outcome that Mizzone found telling.
“Eddie Hearn went in for the purse bid and lost it,” Mizzone said. “The funny thing is, the difference between what we asked for and what he lost in the bid is about the same. It shows that he wasn’t willing to invest in Boots Ennis the way we believed he should have.”
Ennis’ recent fight against David Avanesyan was a success, drawing a packed house and generating excitement for his future with Matchroom Boxing, following his stint with Showtime. However, Mizzone believes that if Matchroom had met their financial demands, an Ennis-Norman bout in Philadelphia could have been a major event.
“Two young fighters, both with titles, fighting in Philadelphia – that’s an investment I would make as a promoter,” Mizzone said. “So, who’s really not negotiating right? Is it us or them? We stood our ground on what we believed was a fair number, and we’ll continue to do so.”
Mizzone concluded, “At the end of the day, we didn’t overprice ourselves. We priced ourselves based on what we believe ESPN and Top Rank have invested in Brian Norman. Going into someone else’s backyard comes with its own risks, and we just wanted to be compensated fairly for it. People can agree or disagree, but now look at what’s happened with their purse bid. We believe we made the right decision.”
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