WBO World Super Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (USA, 22 wins [13 KOs], 1 loss) revealed on his social media that IBF World Welterweight and WBA Super Champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (USA, 34 wins [30 KOs], no losses, 1 no contest) has turned down a fight offer.
About ten days ago, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who promotes Ennis, received a proposal from Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi minister leading the Riyadh Season project, to host a fight between Lopez and Ennis. The plan was for Lopez to move up in weight and challenge Ennis for his titles sometime between September and October.
Bob Arum of Top Rank also confirmed that negotiations for the bout were underway, stating, “Teofimo is doing it for the money, but I can’t blame him. This would be the biggest money fight of his career. Still, I think Lopez would be the underdog,” giving a blunt but realistic view.
Lopez, who had high hopes for the matchup, expressed deep disappointment after being turned down by Ennis, saying, “I don’t know if I’ll continue being a professional boxer. It’s disappointing,” even hinting at a possible retirement from the ring.
Though Lopez is seeking a big payday, he struggled to impress in his title defense against then-ranked No. 8 contender Steve Claggett (Canada, 39 wins [27 KOs], 8 losses, 2 draws) on June 29, 2023 (June 30 Japan time) at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. He won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds but failed to deliver a memorable performance and faced challenges with ticket sales at the 3,200-seat venue.
Later, dissatisfied with his fight purses, Lopez attempted to part ways with Top Rank. In response, Arum disclosed that negotiations with Hearn were progressing to make the Ennis bout happen. The fight was tentatively scheduled for March 1 (March 2 Japan time) in the U.S. as a joint ESPN and DAZN pay-per-view event, but it ultimately did not materialize.
In December of last year, it was revealed that Top Rank had made an offer to former two-division world champion Devin Haney (USA, 32 wins [15 KOs], undefeated, 1 no contest), who is ranked No. 1 by the WBC and No. 4 by the WBA at welterweight. The offer included a minimum guaranteed purse of $2.4 million (approximately ¥359.6 million), plus a 55/45 PPV revenue split. However, Haney showed little interest in the deal.
Lopez, who wants to leave Top Rank but is bound by a contract that makes it difficult to do so, needs a high-profile opponent to secure a lucrative payday—but such opponents are hard to come by. Recently, however, Haney has expressed interest in facing Lopez, raising the possibility that the two could square off during the “Riyadh Season.”
Meanwhile, Ennis, who had been aiming for an undisputed championship in the welterweight division, has suggested he may move up to super welterweight due to struggles making the 147-pound limit.
On February 22 (February 23 Japan time), a bout between Jaron Ennis and WBC Interim Super Welterweight Champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. (USA, 23 wins, 21 KOs) was planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both camps had agreed to the fight. However, when it came time to sign the contract, Ortiz Jr.’s team was furious to discover that the contracted weight listed was 147 pounds—welterweight. As a result, the fight fell through and was never realized.
Following that, Ennis secured a unification bout with WBA World Welterweight Champion Eimantas Stanionis (Lithuania, 15 wins, 9 KOs, 1 loss, 1 no contest). The fight took place on April 12 (April 13 Japan time) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Ennis dominated Stanionis, forcing a retirement after six rounds and successfully unifying the titles.
Currently staying in Japan, Eddie Hearn had previously commented on Ennis’s struggles to make weight, noting, “Ennis has to decide whether he wants to fight Lopez or continue aiming for full unification in the welterweight division.”
Personally, I’m very interested in Ennis vs. Lopez!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
https://boxing-master.com/prof/embed/#?secret=x2hdidccEV#?secret=JaONuGYWG5
This article has been translated and published with permission from the original author.
The original content belongs to [Name of author/blog].
コメントを残す