Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis requests IBF to order Errol Spence fight

By Boxing News - 10/22/2022 - Comments

By Robert Segal: Mandatory challenger Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has submitted a request to the IBF for them to order Errol Spence Jr to defend his IBF welterweight title against him.

Assuming Spence refuses to face Ennis, he could be stripped of his IBF title if he doesn’t vacate the belt first.

If the International Boxing Federation acts on the request from #1 IBF Boots Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs), Spence may be forced to decide whether to agree to the fight or vacate his belt and either move up to 154 or defend his WBA title against Eimantas Stannionis.

The easier fight on paper for Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) is against Stanionis, and that’s far from an easy fight.

Up until this week, IBF/WBA/WBC 147-lb champion Spence had been in negotiations to fight WBO champ Terence Crawford for the undisputed championship.

Little did Spence know, Crawford was in negotiations with fringe contender David Avanesyan at the same time.

This week, Crawford’s team announced that he’d be defending against Avanesyan on December 10th on BLK pay-per-view at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

Crawford will be getting an unbelievable eight-figure payday for the fight against Avanesyan. Now that Crawford is out of the picture, Spence must decide whether to face Stanionis, Boots Ennis, Keith Thurman, or move up to 154.

“Spence never did no mandatorys,” said Boots’ dad, trainer Derek Bozy Ennis to YSM Sports Media. “Four years [since Spence made a mandatory defense].

“We sent a petition already [to IBF for them to order Spence vs. Boots]. I sent one in.”

“You would expect it, but I know what it’s going to be. Now, you’re going to go by, ‘Why do I got to fight Jaron Ennis or why do I got to fight someone in the top five when you got Terence Crawford going and fighting someone in the top 10,” said Coach L, Lawrence Smalls.

“Exactly,” said Bozy Ennis. “You got Stanionis; you got Thurman; you got Boots; you got Ortiz. “We got four right there, waiting in line [for a title shot against Spence]. He ain’t getting paid that.

“It’s not really concrete now. They’re just saying that s**t. My man told me that he don’t think that’s going to take place. The first pay-per-view fight in Nebraska.

“That’s what it’s going to be,” continued coach L. “Terence Crawford I 35-years-old. How much longer are you going to play around?

“What kind of legacy are you keeping? They need to strip you from pound-for-pound and fight the way he was supposed to fight and do what he need to do.

“You got Stanionis; you got Boots, you got Ortiz. What’s the use of these guys going back and forth with each other when these guys that got the belts, Crawford & Spence, they’re ducking & dodging,” said coach L.

“I know they ain’t going to pay a check of ten million dollars for him [Crawford] to fight that boy Avanesyan,” said Bozy Ennis.

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