Virgil Ortiz Jr. responded on social media to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ decision not to accept a fight with him on February 22. Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) informed his fans that it was not his fault that the fight with Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) did not happen.
Was Ennis serious?
Fans are criticizing Boots for writing 147 in the negotiation papers for the fight with the WBC junior middleweight champion, Vergil Jr., who has indicated that he is not willing to fight him.
There was no way Ortiz, 26, could pull up to fight Boot at 147 without risking his life. Ortiz went up to 154 due to health issues back in 2022, dropping to 147. That was the last year he fought in that division.
It is not clear whose idea it was that Boot Ennis’ team listed 147 as the weight of the fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. Ennis was promoted by Eddie Hearn.
Ideally, he should have included that idea to prevent the chaos caused by this episode because there was no way that Vergil Jr. he would agree to fight in 147.
Did Team Ennis believe that Vergil Jr. would he agree to the 147 weight because the money would be good and the amount of attention the fight would get if they fought on a loaded February 22nd card in Riyadh? In other words, were they testing Vergil to see if he was gullible enough to accept this weight?
If Vergil had agreed to fight at 147, it would have given Boot Ennis a huge advantage, fighting Vergil Jr. weak, skeletal, who may be debilitated and unable to support themselves with weight.
This whole episode hurts Boot Ennis’ reputation because he should have known better. The only way this fight would have happened was if Boots moved up to 154 to challenge Vergil Jr. for his interim WBC belt. Ennis should have allowed that because the way things are now, he is considered a drunkard.
Boots promoter Eddie Hearn said he wants to stay at 147 and combine this division. He does not want to relinquish his IBF welterweight title. He shouldn’t have bothered to negotiate with Vergil Jr if that was the case.
Vergil Jr.’s statement
I always said I would fight anyone and I stayed true to my word. Everyone I’ve been offered a fight with has said yes. It takes two tangos 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 that I…
– Vergil Ortiz Jr. (@VergilOrtiz) November 30, 2024
