Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will have to take care of his business this weekend when he takes on Usima Lima in his official 154 lb debut, but if he comes through as expected his next big fight appears to be the ones fans have been waiting for — against Vergil Ortiz.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn tells ESPN that the sides have already negotiated the parameters of agreement for a Boots vs Ortiz fight to take place in the first quarter of 2026, and that Golden Boy just want to see Ortiz get through his upcoming
fight with Erickson Lubin before formally setting the fight.
“We want the biggest fights after Saturday, and for me the one that makes the most sense and the one that has been negotiated is Vergil Ortiz,” Hearn told ESPN. “We sat in a room with Golden Boy and DAZN, we worked out the deal structure, and in his deal extension with us Boots signed for that fight with Ortiz.”
With Hearn believing Boots to be the next big thing in the sport as far as pound-for-pound talent is concerned, he would like to see him in title fights and he says that could come against Xander Zayas, Sebastian Fundora, Bakhram Murtazaliev, or really anyone holding a strap at the weight.
Before Boots can realize any of those aspirations, however, he’ll need to make sure he’s focused and doesn’t slip up against Lima, who will have confidence given the fact he’s just beaten three undefeated fighters in a row — albeit none of them on the level of Boots.
