Boxing

Eddie Hearn Reveals What's Likely Next For Jaron 'Boot' Ennis

A high-profile fight likely awaits Jaron "Boots" Ennis next time he steps into the ring.
Nathaniel Marrero|
Eddie Hearn, Jaron Ennis and Bozy Ennis after Eimantas Stanionis' corner stopped the fight.
Eddie Hearn, Jaron Ennis and Bozy Ennis after Eimantas Stanionis' corner stopped the fight. | Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Jaron "Boots" Ennis is likely in line for a big fight regardless of who is standing opposite him in his next bout.

His promoter, Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn, spoke about possible opponents for the unified Ring Magazine, IBF and WBA welterweight champion. With fellow welterweight champions Brian Norman Jr. (WBO) facing Jin Sasaki on June 19 in Japan and Mario Barrios facing a returning Manny Pacquiao on July 19, a unification bout is out of the question for the moment.

As a result, Hearn said Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) could face either Ring Magazine and WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez or move up to junior middleweight, one of boxing's best divisions.

“We are discussing and negotiating that fight,” Hearn told The Ring. “And I think if Boots stays at 147, I think he will fight Teofimo. But if he doesn’t, I think he’ll move to 154 and he’ll do it next, for his next fight. The danger of that is you give up your championship and you move up without your championship, which is inevitable at some point.”

MORE: Manny Pacquiao Gives Terence Crawford Advice On Beating Canelo Alvarez

Ennis is coming off a dominant sixth-round stoppage of Eimantas Stanionis in a unification bout on April 12.

A fight with Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) is arguably the biggest fight that can be made for Ennis. Lopez is coming off a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Arnold Barboza Jr. on May 2 at Times Square and is one of boxing's top pound-for-pound talents at his best.

If Ennis moves up to 154 pounds, a potential bout with Vergil Ortiz Jr. is one of the best fights that can be made in boxing. Even outside of Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), fights vs IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs), WBA junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs), or any of the other top names at 154 pounds could make for an intriguing bout.

Regardless of the path Ennis and his team choose to take, one of boxing's top pound-for-pound talents figures to be in big fights moving forward, and if his last performance is any indication, he could be poised to crack the top 10 of pound-for-pound lists if he keeps on winning.

The Latest Boxing News

Show On Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Premiering On Vice TV

Floyd Mayweather's Most Hated Opponent Admission Raises Eyebrows

Ricky Hatton Picks Tougher Opponent Between Floyd Mayweather And Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao Shrugs Off Mario Barrios 16-Year Age Gap With Chill 4-Word Reply

Published
Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

Share on XFollow Nate_Marrero