Hearn says his fighter is not any longer within the position of creating concessions to land the bout. Boots is now “king of the castle.”
“He was taking the smaller side of the piece last time. He was going to be the B-side. He agreed to every part that they desired to get that chance. So that you imagine how he feels now that he’s king of the castle,” said Hearn to the media about Ennis’ position in negotiations with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“Vergil doesn’t have anything Boots wants apart from a giant fight and a giant payday. What does Boots wish to do now? He desires to unify.”
“I don’t rule out that Ortiz fight in any respect. One thing is needless to say. He ain’t close in any respect in the mean time.“
Hearn’s comments reflect how much Ennis’ position has modified over the past yr. During earlier discussions, Ennis was still chasing the most important opportunities and was willing to just accept B-side status to secure a fight with Ortiz. Hearn says those circumstances now not exist.
Ennis now holds two world titles and has shifted his attention toward becoming the undisputed champion. Hearn indicated that unification bouts remain the priority, but he left the door open for Ortiz if Golden Boy presents a proposal that outweighs Ennis’ other options.
“Tell us what the cash is. And I’ll go to Jaron, and I’ll say, ‘We got Kelly, Fundora, or Ortiz,’” said Hearn.
Unless Turki Alalshikh gets involved, it’s questionable if a fight with Ortiz Jr. is financially appealing enough for Ennis to take day without work from pursuing his goal of becoming the undisputed champion at junior middleweight.
Josh Kelly and Sebastian Fundora remain among the many names into account, with Hearn making it clear that each possibility will likely be evaluated before Ennis decides on his next opponent.
A fight remains to be available for Vergil Jr, but Hearn believes the balance of power has moved. Relatively than Ennis pursuing Ortiz Jr. at any cost, Golden Boy must now persuade the unified champion that the financial package is value delaying his pursuit of the remaining 154-lb titles.
