By: Sean Crose
Speaking with FightHub noted trainer Robert Garcia took some air out of the belief that his fighter, Vergil Ortiz, would be fighting fellow undefeated dynamo Jaron “Boots” Ennis next. “Boots doesn’t want to fight Vergil,” he said. “Boots is not going to fight Vergil next.” This is unfortunate for fight fans. After a brilliant performance against Erickson Lubin last Saturday night in Texas , Ortiz engaged in smack talk with Ennis, who had come to watch the fight live. It looked for a moment at least that boxing’s next major fight was on it’s way to being signed.
According to Garcia, however, that’s simply not the case. They’re trying to get he media and press to believe they’re ready for the fight,” he said. “I know they’re not” Indeed, Garcia indicated that team Ennis has someone else in their sights. “I know they have a possible opponent already,” he said. So why the big production after Saturday night’s fight, then? “It’s all part of the show,” Garcia said. Welcome to the sport of boxing, where the biggest dream matches can fall to pieces before negotiations even begin. Still, Garcia made it clear that he’s not angry at Boot’s promoter, Eddie Hearn. “Eddie’s doing a good job doing it,” he said about Hearn promoting his own fighter. It was an interesting and balanced point for Garcia to make.
Yet it’s going to be a shame for fans if this fight gets delayed or doesn’t happen at all. One reason, as I’ve stated before, the UFC is so popular with its fans is because it delivers. Boxing more often than not simply doesn’t deliver for its fans. And while popular boxers arguably make more and are better treated than mixed martial artists, the fact is fans should be at least some part of the equation when it comes to these possible super fights
With that being said, it looks like both Ortiz and Ennis are fighters who care about legacy. That’s important in this day and age where some fighters simply see boxing as a business. It’s hard to imagine either Ortiz or Ennis being happy with never having squared off against one another in the ring. These guys want their names to live on beyond their careers. That means there are more likely than other fighters to make some concessions at the the negotiating table in order to make the fight happen. These simply aren’t two guys who want to spend their retirement years wondering what could have been.
Here’s hoping they square off sooner rather than later.
