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Eddie Hearn wants IBF Welterweight Champion Jaron Ennis to target unification bouts at 147 before facing Terence Crawford.
Boots signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing with a view to staying active. Ennis has not fought since stopping Roiman Villa last July. He was the IBF welterweight mandatory for Crawford. However, Bud chose to pursue the Errol Spence Jr. rematch instead.
While the rematch broke down, Bud was stripped, making Ennis the full IBF champ at 147. Crawford holds the WBC, WBO and WBA belts at 147. But if he moves to 154 and vacates, the belts will be freed. Hearn wants Ennis to collect those belts, unify and build his name before facing Crawford in a mega clash.
Hearn On Ennis
“I’d like to make Boots against [WBA interim welterweight champion Eimantas] Stanionis. I would like to make Boots against [WBC interim 147-lb champion Mario] Barrios as well. I think now, there’s a big opportunity to make unification fights for Boots, whereas previously there probably wasn’t,” Hearn said
Crawford is reportedly in talks to face the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Israil Madrimov. Bud may vacate his belts at 147 if the fight goes ahead, as he chases undisputed in a third weight class. That could set up an Ennis-Crawford fight at 154 later down the line. At the same time, Mario Barrios’ team claimed that Boots walked away from a potential fight. That would have been for the WBC Interim Welterweight Belt, making it potentially a full title if Bud vacated.
“We agreed to fight him. They said, ‘Would you fight Boots? Nobody wants to fight Boots.’ I said, ‘We’ll fight Boots.’ I told everybody that. He went with DAZN now, but we’re with Al Haymon, and I know he’ll let us fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. Maybe that’s something that can be put together sometime with Boots. But obviously, he took off with DAZN for whatever reason, so we’ll see. Boots, Crawford, any of those guys. We agreed to fight him [Boots Ennis]. They approached us and said, ‘Would you be willing to fight him?’ I told everybody, ‘Of course, we’ll fight him.’ Why wouldn’t we fight him?,” Bob Santos (Barrios’ trainer) said
Ennis Vs. Haney
Another alternative is for Ennis to face Devin Haney. Boots has said he is willing to face Haney at 147. The Dream is preparing to face Ryan Garcia on April 20 at 140. But Haney is a big 140-pounder, leaving enough room for him to move up to 147. Haney is a two-division champion, chasing undisputed at 140. Ennis is ready to face The Dream if he is willing to take on that challenge.
“That’s a fight I’ve been wanting. Him and Errol Spence, but Errol moved up. Bud is moving up too, but they got to see me. I’m coming for them. Anybody that’s around that 147, 154, 160, 168, it doesn’t matter who it is,” Boots revealed
“Devin is a big 140, but he’s tiny next to Boots. You’re talking about a guy that could easily go to 154 and easily go to 160. He could easily fight at 154 and 160. But first, we’ve got to rule this division [147], pick up all the silverware and dominate, and then move to 154,” Hearn said
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