Jaron Ennis’ Career At A Crossroads

Jaron Ennis’ future is suffering due to the lack of big fights. 

That is according to Chris Algieri. Boots is considered one of the most talented boxers in the welterweight division. He is the IBF Welterweight Champion with an undefeated record of 32-0 with 29 knockouts. He became the champion once Terence Crawford was stripped for not facing him. He made the first defense of his title, stopping David Avanesyan in the fifth round. 

Since then, his plans on getting a big fight have failed. Ennis expressed his wish to face Crawford, who is at 154. Bud is coming off a win over Israil Madrimov, which made him the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion and a four-weight champ. However, Crawford’s focus is on securing a lucrative fight with Canelo Alvarez. The IBF ordered Ennis to defend his title against Karen Chukhadzhian. It would be a rematch of their first clash, which Ennis won by a unanimous decision.

Ennis’ Problem

Purse bids were called, as Matchroom Boxing lost by $250,000. Eddie Hearn was clear that he wanted Ennis to have a unification. An offer was sent to the WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr. Several offers were made, with the latest reportedly being $1.7 million. However, it is claimed that Norman’s team wanted $2.2 million. Talks broke down, leaving Ennis with a decision to make. He can take the fight at 147 with Chukhadzhian, meaning he will likely have to fight away from home.

That would also generate less money, given there is not a lot of interest in the fight. Alternatively, Ennis could vacate his title to move up to 154. But there are no immediate title shots. There are also several dangerous men in the division. Fights with Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Tim Tszyu are big fights. However, those fights are not easy. Losses to either of them would harm Ennis’ brand and his ranking for any title shot. 
Algieri recognized that Ennis was in a tough place. 

Algieri Reacts

“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. He’s not getting the fights. People don’t know who he is. 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,” Algieri said 

It is still early days in Ennis’ career with Matchroom Boxing. The decision to join Hearn was due to his ability to market fighters in the UK and the US. Matchroom has also developed close ties with the Saudis, offering Ennis more opportunities. Much like Crawford, who only recently got his breakout fight against Errol Spence Jr., Ennis must bide his time. 

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