Jaron “Boots” Ennis is halfway to accomplishing his ultimate goal. Fresh off a dominant seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Ennis now holds the WBA and WBO junior middleweight world titles and has his sights firmly set on becoming the undisputed champion at 154 pounds.
But while championship unification remains his priority, the undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr. remains firmly on his radar.
Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs, 1 NC) delivered one of the most impressive performances of his career by dismantling the previously unbeaten Zayas to become a two-division world champion.
After the victory, the Philadelphia native made it clear that collecting the division’s remaining world titles is his primary objective. “I’m here to be undisputed and bring home these belts,” Ennis said during the post-fight press conference.
His next targets are WBC champion Sebastian Fundora and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly.
Vergil Ortiz Still Looms
If the unification bouts cannot be finalized, Ennis says he’s more than willing to face one of boxing’s most dangerous undefeated fighters. “But if we can’t get those other guys and Vergil Ortiz is available, let’s make it happen,” Ennis said.
Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1-ranked junior middleweight contender, was reportedly close to reaching an agreement to fight Ennis earlier this year before negotiations unraveled amid promotional issues involving Golden Boy Promotions. Despite those complications, Ortiz remains one of the biggest names available in the division.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Team Fundora has already expressed interest in negotiating a three-belt unification fight. Meanwhile, IBF champion Josh Kelly is scheduled to defend his title against Caoimhin Agyarko on July 25 in Saudi Arabia as part of the Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga undercard.
Should Kelly retain his championship, Hearn believes a showdown with Ennis could be next. That leaves Ennis in one of the strongest positions in boxing, holding two world titles while having multiple blockbuster fights available.
Hearn Won’t Dismiss Ortiz
Although Ennis’ immediate focus is on unifying the division, Hearn says Ortiz won’t simply be pushed aside. “We are not gonna sit there full of arrogance like some people would right now and say, ‘Tough luck Vergil Ortiz,'” Hearn said.
“He’s the unified world champion; a superstar of the sport. Get in line and take your 15% for a voluntary defense.” Instead, Hearn emphasized that Team Ennis remains interested in delivering the biggest fights available.
“What we say is, we love the big fights. We want to be undisputed, but we don’t rule out that fight.”
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
