Eddie Hearn Is Already Doing A Poor Job of Protecting Jaron Ennis

Eddie Hearn Drops the Ball on Jaron Ennis vs Chukhadzhian Bid

Reigning IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) is arguably the best in the world at 147 pounds. His promoter is Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing. However, after only a few months together as business partners, Hearn appears not to have Ennis’s best interest at hand.

This comes after Matchroom lost a September 3 IBF purse bad to PM2-Boxing Promotion. The sanctioning body had ordered a fight between Ennis and his mandatory challenger, Karen Chukhadzhian. Word on the street is that PM2 won the promotional rights with a bid of $2 million, and Matchroom’s bid was $1.5 million. Ennis previously fought Chukhadzhian in January 2023 and defeated him by a unanimous decision.

When Ennis signed with Matchroom in April 2024, Hearn told everyone within shouting distance that his mission was to make Boots a future superstar. The IBF champion also expressed aspirations of becoming an undisputed champion.

A DERELICTION OF DUTY

However, if you’re a promoter with such a prized talent as Boots, how do you lose a purse bid to a relatively unknown within the promotional realm? PM2 is not a major power player. Hearn has deep enough pockets to win that purse bid. For him to bid only $1.5 million is belittling to a fighter of Ennis’s immense potential.

As a result, Ennis has only two options. One is to fight the rematch against Chukhadzhian – a fight that would likely occur in the mandatory challenger’s home in Europe. The other option is for Ennis to vacate the IBF title. Do you think Hearn would allow this to happen with fellow Matchroom fighters Anthony Joshua or Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez? No, he would not!

This current dilemma sits squarely at the feet of Hearn. One of the main priorities as a promoter is to be all-in for your fighter at the negotiating table. Matchroom didn’t step up to the plate. It speaks to where Ennis fits in the pecking order of their roster. He’s receiving the boxing equivalent of second-class treatment.

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