Eddie Hearn Voices Frustration Over Stalled Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs. Brian Norman Jr. Negotiations

On Saturday, July 13, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) made his Matchroom Boxing debut in a homecoming fight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia against David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs). “Boots” impressed with his hand speed and accuracy which led to Avenesyan being pulled from the fight before the sixth round on advice from the ringside physician.

Jaron Ennis Next Fight: Eddie Hearn Frustrated With Brian Norman Jr. Negotiations

Eddie Hearn Laments Negotiations for Unification Fight

Looking ahead to what’s next for the Philly fighter, the IBF have decided to set the purse bids for September 3 for Ennis to face mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian, who the American already beat via a shutout 120-108 on all three scorecards for the vacant interim belt in January 2023. Eddie Hearn has revealed his frustrations regarding the negotiations for a unification fight with WBO titlist Brian Norman Jr. while lamenting the IBF‘s decision to order Ennis to defend against someone he’s already beaten easily.

When speaking to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel, Hearn said: “It’s frustrating because you hear everything Brian Norman Sr., his dad, is saying (about wanting the fight) and none of it really makes sense.”

Read More: Five Underrated Welterweights to Watch Out for in 2024

Hearn continued: “This is a really simple situation. The first offer that was made to Brian Norman was nicely over a million dollars. They felt that was not insulting but nowhere near (what they wanted). We made two more offers, quarterof a million dollars (more) every time, to levels that Brian Norman will never see. And it’s like we keep getting told we’re close and we go back and make another offer and we’re told by his team that we’re actually not that close. And I start to think, Brian Norman do you want this fight or are you clout chasing?”

Read More: Brian Norman Jr. Beats Giovani Santillan

Hearn added regarding Norman Jr.: “Who is Brian Norman? I know Brian Norman’s a good fighter, but no one knows who Brian Norman is. We’re giving you a bucket load of money and an opportunity for you to unify the division against in my opinion one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and you say ‘Boots’ is overrated. You say he’s not the boogie man. Then why wouldn’t you take this bucket load of money to prove you’re the best welterweight in the world? We’ve gone back three times now with more money to a point where, all due respect to Brian Norman, he shouldn’t be making this kind of money.”

IBF Decision

The decision from the IBF has left Hearn frustrated: “Now we’re in a situation where the IBF, which is absolutelyridiculous, has ordered Chukhadzhian to fight the rematch.”

The Matchroom CEO continued: “He’s a good fighter. ‘Boots’ has already beaten him. The IBF’s got to stop with this. They’re ruining boxing by ordering fights people don’t want to see, especially when he’s already beaten him. So, we may vacate the belt and we may do something different. We might fight Chukhadzhian and get it out of the way.”

“Brian Norman has missed the boat and now he’s got to go fight somebody for peanuts that nobody has ever heard of. ‘Boots’ is alright. He’s earning a fortune. Brian Norman had a chance to prove himself as a superstar and they dropped the ball,” said Hearn.