Ennis Accused Of Ducking Ortiz – ‘We All Know Boots Doesn’t Want Vergil'

Jaron Ennis has been accused of ducking Virgil Ortiz Jr. after Oscar De La Hoya criticized his recent decision to stay at 147.

Ennis was linked with a fight against Ortiz Jr., which would have taken place at junior middleweight. It would have been his first fight at the weight class. Ortiz, like Ennis, is known for being a knockout artist. However, Ennis decided to stay at 147 as he faced his IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian. The decision was understandable since Ennis would have had to vacate his belt to make the move. He also would not have been fighting for a title at 154 pounds against a risky opponent. Ortiz has yet to win a world title but is considered the boogeyman of the 154-pound division. Ennis’ decision to stay at 147 appears to have paid off.

Ennis At 147

Boots defeated Karen in a unanimous decision for the second time. He has also just come off a unification fight against Eimantas Stanionis, as he stopped the latter to become the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion. Ennis is now potentially two fights away from becoming undisputed at 147. He could target the WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios, whilst there is also the opportunity to face off against the WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr.

Boots is currently with Matchroom Boxing, as this could present a hurdle in making those fights. He may have to go to PBC to secure them bouts, unless the promotional company decides to work with Matchroom. Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following factors. It makes no sense for Ennis to move up to 154 pounds if he has not conquered the 147 division.

Will The Fight Happen?

The welterweight division is not as strong as what it used to be. Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, just to name a few, are no longer in the division. Mario Barrios has also suffered a loss to Gervonta Davis at 140 pounds whilst coming up short against Keith Thurman at 147.

Meanwhile, Brian Norman Jr. has yet to fight an elite welterweight. Ennis’ team have also said they have gotten the better of Norman Jr. in sparring, meaning they would fancy themselves in cleaning up the 147 division. However, De La Hoya had his own view on that. He felt that Ennis was looking to avoid his fighter.

"We all know Boots doesn’t want to fight Vergil. That’s what happened, right? We called him out and had a fight, and then they [Team Boots Ennis] backtracked. So, until I see something on paper that Boots wants to fight Vergil, then I’ll believe it. Everybody was calling each other out, and then all of a sudden, they [Ennis] pulled off the Vergil train. So, who knows what the reasons are, but look, Vergil is the man at 154. That’s the bottom line," De La Hoya said

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.