When Jaron “Boots” Ennis turned down a much-anticipated fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. because it would involve moving up to super welterweight, Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, promised the IBF welterweight champion will land in a big fight at welterweight next instead.
With terms already agreed for WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis to face mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov, WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. planning a defense against Derrick Cuevas, and Conor Benn targeting a bout against WBC champion Mario Barrios, that unification now appears unlikely to be next for “Boots.”
But one other option has arisen: A major fight between Ennis and reigning WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
“That’s the fight that we want,” Lopez’s promoter, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, told Boxing Scene of Lopez-Ennis on Monday. “And I believe we can make it happen.”
Arum said a Top Rank attorney was in talks with Hearn to make the fight, which would be a rare joint pay-per-view event produced and distributed by Arum’s broadcast partner, ESPN, and Hearn’s, DAZN.
Lopez joined the Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez 2 broadcast Saturday and named Ennis, among two others, on his ideal target list.
Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) signed with Matchroom on a three-fight deal in 2024. He made his debut for the company in July, halting Davis Avanesyan in five rounds in Ennis’ hometown of Philadelphia. In November, he won a decision over IBF mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian in an unpopular rematch.
With just one fight left on the deal, Hearn is under pressure to deliver a significant fight for Matchroom’s biggest U.S. attraction after two underwhelming bouts.
Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), who recently added Eddy Reynoso — Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s coach — to his training team, previously won the unified lightweight titles after upsetting Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020. The Brooklyn native moved up to super lightweight after his 2021 defeat at the hands of George Kambosos and picked up the WBO strap with a convincing win over Josh Taylor in 2023.
Lopez has made three defenses of his championship since and has been on the hunt for a big fight.
Lopez said on social media in November that he made a “$2.4 million guaranteed” and “55/45 split on PPV shares” offer to former undisputed king Devin Haney, which he said was rejected.
Richardson Hitchins, who dethroned Liam Paro for the IBF super lightweight title on Saturday, called out Lopez for a battle of Brooklyn natives in what would be a 140-pound unification contest.
