WHAT was once a potentially exciting addition to a February 22 bumper card in Riyadh has turned into another social media argument.
Last week, it was claimed that IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis, 33-0 (29 KOs), and WBC super-welterweight belt holder Vergil Ortiz Jr, 22-0 (21 KOs), were set for a showdown in Middle East. Their match was to be featured in a Riyadh Season event featuring Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker, Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol and others. However, a fight between two of the best undefeated talents in boxing appears to be on the shelf until major decisions are made.
Yesterday afternoon, writing on social media platform X, Ortiz dismissed any claim or narrative that the fight did not take place as his own.
“I’ve always said I’ll fight anyone and I’ve stayed true to my word. Every person I’ve been offered to fight I’ve said yes. It takes 2 to tango in boxing, so if I’m not in that ring fighting someone, know that it’s not my fault! Time for some of you to stop saying I’m ducking and I don’t want to fight because that’s not happening this time and it never happened 💯”
Ortiz is close to a world title fight at 154 pounds. (Image: Golden Boy Promotions)
However, a fighter doesn’t take a punch without throwing one back, and Ennis took his own verbal jab a few hours later on Instagram.
“I saw the rumors on social media as did yall regarding the fight with me and Virgil I didn’t know the alleged negotiations were on my end From now on if it didn’t just come from ME Don’t believe it and I will respond if stay at 47 or if I move to 54 at a later date and time.”
Ennis promoter Eddie Hearn was in Birmingham last night and watched his flyweight star Galal Yafai secure a world title following the retirement of Sunny Edwards. Later that night, he talked to me Boxing news and said that Ennis has to choose whether to stay at welterweight or move up to super-welterweight.
“This fight isn’t necessarily dead,” he said, “but Jaron has to make a quick decision about what weight he’s going to make and whether he’s going to drop the belt and I’m not sure he will. We have to see what happens.”
Hearn shot down reports that there was a last-minute change that would see Ennis move from 147lbs to 154lbs.
“There was never a last-minute change to be at 147,” he said.
“We got an offer about three days ago for the fight at 147. Not from us, not us trying to get the fight at 147. That’s what it said in the offer to us. We took it back to Jaron, obviously, that’s fine with us. We went back to them and said yes, we will accept, but are you sure this is in ’47. They left, came back and said no we talked to Golden Boy sorry that would be at 154 you have to vacate your title. Okay, this is a big decision. We should go back. This was about 24-48 hours ago.
“At Thanksgiving we were asked to make a decision and the answer (from Ennis) was just I don’t know, I’m not ready to make a decision if I’m going to vacate my belt and that’s it and that’s it. So if we have time to make a decision maybe he will, but if he has to make a decision tonight or tomorrow, I’m not sure he will. If he moves to ’54, he’ll 100% fight Vergil Ortiz, if he doesn’t, he’ll unify at 147 and that’s it.”
Hearn also responded to Ennis’ post that he was “ignorant” of the negotiations taking place and assured that if the Philadelphia native moves up to 154 pounds, he will fight Ortiz Jr.
“There have been no negotiations,” he confirmed. “All we did was get an offer about three days ago. We got an offer to do the race in ’47, accepted, went back, checked, were told it was ’54. We said okay, we have to talk as a team to decide if we’re going to ’54, but what you’re not going to see is him going to ’54 and not fighting Vergil Ortiz, I promise you that.”
