NEWS: JARON ENNIS EAGER TO FACE EIMANTAS STANIONIS-VERGIL ORTIZ WINNER
By: Jay Calderon
Recently, it was announced that talented welterweight contender Jaron Ennis would return to action in January, as part of the Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Garcia undercard.
While a return for the unbeaten American is welcomed, the choice of Karen Chukhadzhian left something to be desired. Still, with the IBF interim title at 147 pounds up for grabs, it does open a possible avenue towards a title shot against IBF title-holder Errol Spence down the line.
Still, within the last month, Ennis expected to take a different approach, as "Boots" fully anticipated preparing for a showdown with highly-rated Eimantas Stanionis for a minor version of the WBA strap. However, the WBA eventually ordered a purse bid set for December 12 for Stanionis vs. another unbeaten welterweight in Vergil Ortiz.
Truthfully, there is no guarantee Stanionis-Ortiz takes place, considering EImantas and Vergil have different promoters in Probellum and Golden Boy, respectively. Also, provided a deal can't be reached and the purse bid is necessary, Ortiz and his team may elect to move on as he would only be entitled to 25% of the winning bid.
Regardless, if the fight is to occur, one of the more interested observers will undoubtedly be the aforementioned Ennis. While he may be going down the IBF route in his next encounter, Ennis would be happy to face the winner of Stanionis-Ortiz, simply stating, " that's another belt to collect and another undefeated guy on my resume".
Ennis claimed the Stanionis-Ortiz bout would be an exciting, 50-50 encounter, and he couldn't predict a winner. And while ENnis claims he doesn't mind facing either man, Jaron realizes that the Ortiz showdown would draw much more attention from the boxing world.
"If it was up to me, [Ortiz and I would] be fighting next," Ennis told BoxingScene.com. "People think that's a big-time fight, so I definitely think that's a big fight and I want it to happen. Let's make it happen."
While one could argue it's a bit too soon for the talented 147 pounders to face off, the truth of the matter may be that a pathway to stardom at welterweight doesn't exist outside of the showdown. Titlist Terence Crawford and unified titlist Errol Spence are looking for higher reward fights (particularly with one another), and both may have plans of moving up to 154 pounds if those bigger fights at 147 pounds can't be made.
The only other viable options would be former titlists Keith Thurman or Yordenis Ugas. However, Thurman may be next up for Spence in 2023, and Ugas, while very skilled, isn't the biggest name the sport can provide.
Outside of direct title shots, both Ennis and Ortiz may need one another to stake their claim as the top dog of the weight class heading into the future -- and a fight sooner rather than later might make the most sense.
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