Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz won't fight in Saudi Arabia this February. The two boxers couldn't agree on the weight class, and now their match is off.
Eddie Hearn, Ennis' promoter, got an offer for the fight at 147 pounds. He said yes, but then the other side changed it to 154 pounds. This meant Ennis would have to give up his IBF welterweight title.
Hearn talked about what happened in an interview:
"They asked Ennis to decide on Thanksgiving. He told me, 'I just don't know, I'm not ready to make a decision if I'm going to vacate my belt.'"
Tim Bradley, a former boxer, thinks Ennis is trying to avoid the fight. On his YouTube channel, Bradley said:
"That's duck soup at its finest. That's the way you do it when you want to duck somebody. When you change your mind and don't believe that you're that damn good. This is a clear indicator right here that he doesn't want no smoke with anybody. This is a perfect match-up for him at 154lbs against a smaller guy, not a big guy."
Bradley also said Ennis could have kept his title by talking to the boxing organization. He thinks this doesn't look good for Ennis and his team.
Ennis is the current IBF welterweight champion. He fights at 147 pounds. Ortiz holds the WBC interim super-welterweight title at 154 pounds.
Ennis has now spoken up about why the fight didn't happen. He's given his side of the story.
