Boxing
Eddie Hearn maps out Jaron Ennis's world title path ahead of super welterweight debut
Ennis vs Lima - only on DAZN - Saturday
Eddie Hearn has warned the super welterweight division that ‘anyone can get it’ as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis gears up for his debut at 154lbs this weekend.
Former unified welterweight world champion Ennis begins his campaign at a higher limit this weekend when he takes on ranked contender Uisma Lima, live on DAZN.
The headlining bout between Ennis and Lima will be for the vacant WBA interim world title, instantly handing ‘Boots’ a route to a championship fight at 154lbs.
Ennis has been slated to face domestic rival and WBC interim champ Vergil Ortiz Jr in the near future, and Hearn has indicated that remains the priority for 'Boots'.
Hearn explained to The Ring: “Listen, you know, they’ve got their fight coming up, but I hope – and I know that Oscar (De La Hoya, Ortiz’s promoter) wants to make the best fights in boxing – that is the best fight in boxing, like certainly in American boxing.
“Two of the best young fighters in the world. It is such a great, great fight. And I think they think they can win. I know we win, so we’re in. So, as long as they agree to all the terms that we agreed on in that room, the fight happens.”
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Ortiz Jr headlines his own show on DAZN later this year, fighting Erickson Lubin in his native Texas on Saturday, November 8. If a bout between Ennis and Ortiz Jr does not materialise, Hearn believes his fighter will instead face Bakhram Murtazaliev or Sebastian Fundora.
Murtazaliev holds the IBF version of the super welterweight world championship, while Fundora is the WBC’s full champion.
“Now, if Vergil wants to be on his time and all that kind of stuff, then there’s nothing you can do about it," continued Hearn.
“We’ll go and fight [Bakhram] Murtazaliev or we’ll fight [Sebastian] Fundora or whatever we’ve got to do. But after this Lima fight, anyone goes. Anyone can get it – anybody!”
Hearn did not limit Ennis’s next opponent to just reigning super welterweight champions, including current undisputed super middleweight king Terence Crawford in the mix.. ‘Bud’ vacated his title at 154lbs to make a fight at 168lbs with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and whilst he has suggested he may drop back down to middleweight, there is no indication that Crawford will return to super welterweight.
However, Hearn is confident that ‘Boots’ could defeat anyone in his path.
The Matchroom chief added: “Whether that’s Murtazaliev, whether that’s Fundora, whether that’s Ortiz, whether that’s (Terence) Crawford, it don’t matter. Boots will fight anyone. And honestly, I can’t see anybody beating him, I really can’t.”
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