Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ Unification Dreams On Hold: Hearn Considers Teofimo Lopez As A Stopgap Before A Potential 154-Pound Leap

Promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t ready to say whether Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will stay at 147 to fight Teofimo Lopez or move up to 154 if he can’t get the unification clash he wants. Hearn says he favors Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) staying at welterweight and fighting Teofimo.

The two welterweight champions that Ennis needs to fight to become undisputed are busy defending against other fighters, and it’s questionable whether Hearn can offer them enough money without the Saudis getting involved.

Hearn Weighs Ennis’s Options

“We’ve been talking to His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] about Boots vs. Teofimo. I think it was originally for October. It could be August time now,” said Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV. “We like the fight. I think for Boots, after the [Karen] Chukhadzhian fight, he was really considering a move to 154.’

Hearn obviously knows the answer about whether Ennis will stay at 147 or move up to 154. Boots would be a big favorite against Teofimo Lopez, and his size advantage would make his job easier. Going to 154, Ennis wouldn’t be bigger than all his opposition and he’d need to depend more on his boxing skills.

“The [Eimantas] Stanionis unification fight came around, and that’s what he [Ennis] that he wanted to do more than anything. So, we did that. We performed really well in that fight. So, now it’s like, ‘Do I stay at 147 or 154? What are my options? Can you get me another belt?’ I’m like, ‘Right now, Brian Norman is on the missing list. He’s disappearing to Japan for a fight [against Jin Sasaki], and Pacquiao is fighting [WBC welterweight champion] Barrios. So, no is the answer.’

“‘Okay, well, then what have we got at 154? ‘ Then, out of the blue, the Teofimo Lopez fight comes around. So, it may not be a massive motivator to Ennis because it’s just a defense, but it is a big fight,” said Hearn. “Obviously, the money is good, and the profile is good. So, my answer is if Jaron stays at 147, I think there’s a very good chance he fights Teofimo Lopez next. I think if he doesn’t fight Teofimo, he’ll probably move to 154.”

What will keep Ennis at 147 until the bitter end is the dangers at 154 and the fear of the unknown. He doesn’t know how well he’ll do in that weight class, because it’s a different story than what he’s gotten used to fighting in the welterweight 147-lb division. If Boots knew he could breeze through everybody at 154 like he’s done at welterweight, he’d move up.

Teofimo: A Stopgap?

“He’s also got the Shakhram Giyasov mandatory. So the key for him is to unify. He’s done that. In an ideal world, he’d fight all the other champions very quickly, but it doesn’t always play out like that. We’re under no pressure time-wise,” said Hearn. “Only on the Teofimo fight, and that really came three or four days ago, where, ‘Do you want to do it?’ We’re negotiating, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Ennis will need to pay his WBA mandatory Giyasov a step-aside deal if he chooses to fight Teofimo next. There’s no way around that unless Ennis vacates, and he’s not going to do that unless he moves up to 154. Realistically, Boots should fight his mandatory Giyasov, but that’s a tough fight and the money wouldn’t be huge.

“It’s a massive fight. It’s a great fight. My recommendation to Jaron is that if we’re staying, then I think we should definitely consider it. I don’t know. As I understand it, his deal is in place with the Saudis. Our deal is not. Obviously, we’re the champion going into that fight,” said Hearn.

Ennis is obviously hesitant about moving up to 154. So, he’ll take the Teofimo fight if he can’t get the unification matches he wants against WBC champion Mario Barrios or WBO champ Brian Norman Jr. If Jaron moves up to junior middleweight, he would be expected to fight one of the killers right away, like Vergil Ortiz Jr., Bakrham Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundor, Tim Tszyu, or Serhii Bohachuk. He might lose.

“So, generally, the challenger will be getting less money, but we’ll have to see what the offer is and see if it’s something Boots wants to do. In an ideal world, he wants to unify,” said Hearn when asked if Ennis is ‘Hot or cold’ about fighting Teofimo next. Boots is a very refreshing character in terms of legacy over money. So, of course, money is important to him, but what is important to him is proving himself against the champions and against the best.’

Ennis would like to unify at welterweight, but he realizes now that it could take too long for him to get a chance to fight the last two remaining champions, Mario Barrios and Brian Norman Jr. Its not worth it for Boots to waste years trying to get those two last remaining belts.

“So, I wouldn’t say the Teo fights like him saying, ‘Oh, wow. I’m getting to fight.’ You know, it’s like, ‘Yeah, good fight. I get it. I beat him up, but can we can we not get Norman or Barrios? No, not at the moment? Okay, we’ll consider that.’ I think more than likely Riyadh,” said Hearn about the Ennis vs. Lopez fight.

Unless Turki Alalshikh gets involved to help Ennis get the unification fights against Brian Norman Jr. and Mario Barrios, those fights may never happen. Hearn isn’t going to come up with three or four million on his own. He won’t want to risk it.

“Why?” said Hearn when asked why the fight can’t take place in the U.S. “There is another world out there, not just in America. Yeah, at the same time, it’s a massive fight in Riyadh. I get it. I know we can do that fight in Philadelphia and do 21,000 at the Wells Fargo. But also at the same time, we’ve got to understand that boxing is going through a growth in other territories.”

It might be better for the Boots vs. Teofimo fight to be staged overseas in Riyadh rather than the U.S because if Teofimo is just going to clown around like he did at the Times Square event, it’s best that it not happen in America. He made his fight really boring against Arnold Barboza Jr. earlier this month on May 2nd.

“We’ve got to allow that growth to happen, not just like, ‘Oh, we can’t take the fight over there. That’s outrageous,’” said Hearn.

Well, obviously, Hearn isn’t going to say take the fight Ennis-Lopez fight to the U.S, if Turki Alalshikh is the one financing it. He’ll defer to where he wants the contest to be staged.