Jaron Ennis accused of avoiding Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight

Trainer Robert Garcia has accused boxer Jaron Ennis and promoter Eddie Hearn of avoiding the most significant fight in the 154lb division by pursuing a unification match with Josh Kelly instead of facing Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Ennis, a two-division unified champion, is currently negotiating a deal with IBF champion Josh Kelly. Garcia argued that the pursuit of unification serves as an excuse to sidestep Ortiz. He suggested that Kelly is opting for the Ennis fight due to the higher potential earnings, estimating Kelly could earn approximately $1 million against Ennis compared to much lower figures elsewhere.

While Ennis focuses on Kelly and potentially Sebastian Fundora, Ortiz remains without a scheduled opponent following a promotional dispute with Golden Boy. Garcia suggested that Ortiz should target middleweight fighters such as Tim Tszyu or Xander Zayas.