Eddie Hearn Racing To Appease “Frustrated” Boots Ennis

Amid his wheeling and dealing in recent weeks, promoter Eddie Hearn may have made a crucial strategic slip-up when it comes to his star-building project named Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

While the second-generation promoter was glad-handing his new Saudi “partners” and courting Shakur Stevenson, he apparently disregarded the IBF’s imminent declaration of Karen Chukhadzhian as mandatory challenger to Ennis’ IBF welterweight title.

The Ennis-Chukhadzhian pairing would be a rematch of their widely-panned first bout in January of 2023 where Ennis, despite winning every second of every round, delivered his worst and least-inspiring main stage performance versus the mobile and awkward Ukrainian.

Nobody wants to see a part two of this non-rivalry, except for Chukhadzhian.

Ennis, especially, doesn’t want the step-backwards fight as his eyes are firmly set on welterweight unification– with a side-eye set on Hearn delivering him the big fights promised upon signing with Matchroom.

Boots Wants No Steps Backwards

“I want to collect these belts. I’m just frustrated,” Ennis told YSM Sports Media. “I don’t want to have no backward fights. My whole thing is to be undisputed [at 147] and collect these belts.”

“My mindset is focused on the WBC, WBO and WBA. I want to collect these belts…I want to be undisputed,” said Ennis.

Hearn now appears to be in desperation mode, trying to work around the mandatory defense by signing a unification bout for his fighter– the only thing that might make the sanctioning body put off their demand of Ennis-Chukhadzhian 2.

A unification would also appease the 27-year-old Ennis who’s in his physical prime and ready to start stockpiling legacy fights and legacy accomplishments.

“We’ve made offers to Brian Norman, the WBO champion; [Mario] Barrios, the WBC champions; and [Eimantas] Stanionis, the WBA champion– all have been rejected,” Hearn said in a Matchroom Boxing interview. “The one that I think has legs…is Brian Norman, the WBO champion. We’ve made Top Rank two offers now for Brian Norman, both have been rejected– in pleasant fashion…We get on very well with Top Rank.

“He posted yesterday, saying ‘we made a counter-offer.’ We’ve not received any counter-offer. So, Brian, if you would like to make a counter-offer, please hurry up and do so. But I want to make that fight. And if Brian Norman has the balls and if Brian Norman is genuine…Brian, if you’re genuine, let’s go. Let’s speed it up. Let’s get this fight made. Because these are the kinds of fights we should be making. Brian Norman says, ‘Boots is not the boogeyman…He’s overhyped.’ Come on Brian, if you believe that, let’s get this fight made.”

A Desperate Hearn?

The Matchroom Boxing head may be especially desperate because Ennis-Chukhadzhian, which is being targeted for November, could eventually end up in a purse bid situation, which may cost Hearn dearly and, maybe, even cost him the rights to this Ennis fight.

Back in April, Hearn had to wildly overbid for the rights to the IBF mandated Ennis-Cody Crowley bout– Ennis’ first fight under the Matchroom banner. The UK promoter secured the rights to the fight with a $3.9 million bid, nearly twice as much as the second-highest bidder. Crowley, however, would have to withdraw from their bout due to medical reasons, leaving behind Ennis’ mandatory defense obligations.

The 23-year-old WBO champ, Norman, has a different take on talks with Team Ennis. he says that he DID agree to the Ennis fight.

“We got the offer on Tuesday and sent the counter-offer back on Tuesday. We did accept the fight,” Norman told YSM Sports Media.

“My daddy called Bozy [Ennis’ father and trainer] himself. Yes, we accepted the fight, and my dad was trying to talk. But Bozy said, ‘Woah, woah, no. We ain’t trying to fight right now. We want to save that until undisputed [is on the line]. We want to save that until later on.’

“So, your daddy is the one that said, ‘No,’ not us. We said, ‘Yes.’ We called your daddy just to say, ‘Yes,’ and yes, I will come to Philly just for that fight. Don’t forget, every time we encountered each other, I pulled up on y’all…and just like I said before. I’m always down to come to your hood to get this work in. So, it’s never been that. I’m ready for all of that. I want the fight whenever…

“We can’t even say we was in negotiations because they automatically said we said, ‘No.’

So, was there a counter-offer? Did Hearn ever receive said counter-offer?

Hearn clearly wants a unification for his fighter– and this one versus Norman may be the easiest to make and, arguably, the simplest one to win. Norman, who was just elevated from interim champ to full champ after Terence Crawford relinquished his WBO belt, has the thinnest resume and the least main stage experience of the 147 lb. champions. The Georgia native is also just two fights removed from fighting eight-rounders.

To Hearn’s good fortune, there may be a path to making an Ennis-Norman unification. But with desperation in the air, Top Rank and Team Norman may make this deal an expensive one for Hearn.