Ennis, the 28-year-old unbeaten fighter from Philadelphia, had a successful run at welterweight. He became the IBF champion at the end of 2023 after Terence Crawford vacated the title. Ennis then made several successful defenses and added the WBA belt to his collection by stopping Eimantas Stanionis in the 6th round in Atlantic City.
Despite these achievements, Ennis has chosen to vacate his welterweight belts and pursue opportunities in the 154-pound division. This decision has led to some potential fights falling through, including matchups with Teofimo Lopez and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Keith 'One Time' Thurman, a two-time 147-pound champion, shared his thoughts on Ennis's move in an interview with Fight Hub TV.
"Enough money on the table man I'll fight anybody in the world baby. You know he's moving up I mean honestly, let's take a breather real quick, don't ever worry about Keith Thurman fighting people when the money's right."
Thurman didn't stop there. He continued to criticize Ennis's decision:
"Boots didn't want Teofimo. Boots doesn't want Ortiz. Hold up, champion. Hey champ. Chump. Who do you want? Someone told me the other day he wants to move up and have two tune-ups. Undefeated champion getting tune-ups."
Thurman added, "Man, the biggest duck is the Boots, the Boots is the biggest duck. How you get fights that put on the like, they're just fights baby."
While Ennis's move to super welterweight has faced criticism, promoter Eddie Hearn has guaranteed that a fight between Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. will happen after Ennis's debut at 154 pounds.
As for Thurman, he's also making moves in his career. He recently returned to the ring after a three-year break, stopping Brock Jarvis in the 3rd round on March 12 in Sydney. Thurman is now transitioning to the 154-pound division himself, aiming to become a two-weight world champion. He plans to make one more appearance in the ring before the end of the year.
The super welterweight division looks set for some exciting matchups in the coming months, with both Ennis and Thurman joining the ranks. Fans will be eager to see how these talented fighters perform at their new weight class and if a showdown between them might be on the horizon.