Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. have reportedly agreed to fight on February 22 in Riyadh for Vergil’s WBC interim junior title. It’s still not official, but the two have agreed verbally.

Ennis will need to bulk up a bit to stand a chance against the heavy artillery Vergil will bombard him with. Lance Pugmire of Boxing Scene reports that Ennis (33-0, 29 KO) and Ortiz Jr (22-0, 21 KO) are in agreement.

You have to commend Boots for his courage in this fight, because Vergil Jr. is a cut above, and everything is going wrong for him on paper.

Interestingly, Boots and Ortiz Jr. agreed to fight at 154 because Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearnhad said in an interview on Tuesday that the fight could take place at 147. Ennis needs every chance he can get to win after how he looked in his last fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9.

There are no words to describe how bad Boots looked in this fight. Karen, who couldn’t miss, hit him with everything except the kitchen sink and clowned him in front of Boots fans at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

This would tip the scales in Ennis’ favor, as Vergil Jr. had outgrown the welterweight division two years ago in 2022 and would put his health at risk by trying to make a comeback. At 154, Vergil should be made the favorite as Boots has looked mediocre in his last two fights against Karen and David Avanesyan.

It’s a tough fight for Boots in his first try at 154, but he has to do something. He’s not getting the fights he wants at 147 against any of the other champions, and his future is limited if he stays. Getting to 154 could help Ennis, provided he doesn’t immediately collapse during his matchup against Vergil.

If Ennis loses this fight against Ortiz Jr, it will be fun to see Hearn’s reaction. Seeing Boots’ ship get scuttled by Vergil on February 22 will put Hearn in a difficult situation where he will have to decide whether to undertake a costly Joshua-style rebuilding job or wash his hands of it, considering it a mistake.

When Hearn signed Ennis in April 2024, he looked pure 24 carat goldthe type of fighter whose value could continue to rise for years to come. But after watching Ennis struggle in his two fights under his management against Avanesyan and Chukhadzhian, Hearn quickly discovered he had it all wrong. Ennis is fool’s gold, and Hearn has clearly wasted it.

SEE YOU SOON #KTSE pic.twitter.com/roeaPJC6Vq

– Boots (@JaronEnnis) November 26, 2024