Jaron Ennis Wants Fundora, Not Ortiz, in Chase for Undisputed at 154

Jaron 'Boots' Ennis has the biggest name at 154lbs waiting on the other end of a phone, and he'd rather not pick up. The 29-year-old, unbeaten at 36-0 with 32 knockouts, says a long-teased clash with Vergil Ortiz can sit on the shelf while he hunts belts instead. Ennis became a two-division unified champion in June, stopping Xander Zayas inside seven rounds to lift the WBO and WBA super-welterweight titles.

Now the goal is all four straps, and the man Ennis wants next isn't the most commercial option — it's the tallest. He told YSM Sports Media that Sebastian Fundora, the 6ft 6in WBC champion at 24-1-1 (15 KO), is a bigger fight than Ortiz right now because Fundora carries a belt. Ortiz, by contrast, hasn't fought since a second-round demolition of Erickson Lubin last November.

Why Ennis Is Snubbing the Ortiz Money

The logic here is part strategy, part trash talk. Ennis argued that everyone wants to see him and Fundora, and dismissed the Ortiz demand by insisting nobody's clamoring for a fight he says he'd win by knockout anyway. He framed it plainly: face the tall guy the public treats like a monster, get him out of there, then clean out the rest of the division.

Timing makes the snub sting a little more. Ortiz has just settled his promotional situation with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, meaning he's finally free to negotiate — right as Ennis decides he'd rather chase mandatories. Fundora, fresh off a sixth-round stoppage of Keith Thurman, is due to defend that WBC title against mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj later this year, so Boots may have to wait his turn regardless.

There's a cleaner path to three belts on the table, too. Josh Kelly holds the IBF title at 18-1-1 (9 KO) after grinding out a hard-fought win over Caoimhin Agyarko last weekend, and a unification with the Brit would push Ennis one step from undisputed. Kelly's low knockout ratio suggests a points fighter rather than a puncher — a different problem than the reach and awkwardness Fundora brings.

For now, Ennis is keeping the Ortiz door cracked open rather than slammed shut. He's the sport's hottest 154-pounder with a 100% record and an itch to make history, and he's betting that the belts come to him whether or not the fans get the fight they've been asking for. Whichever champion signs first gets a very confident man walking in with everything to lose.