Boxing
Jaron Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz fight in the first quarter of 2026
Published
8 months agoon
Jaron “Boots” Ennis will be in line to fight Vergil Ortiz in the first quarter of 2026 if he secures victory in his junior middleweight debut this Saturday, according to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn.
Ennis (34-0, 30 KO), 28, boxed Uisma Lima (14-1, 10 KO) in his first 154-pound fight at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia after climbing to No. 1 in the ESPN welterweight rankings.
Coming off a sixth-round TKO victory over Eimantas Stanionis in a world title unification fight in April, Ennis is looking to put on a stellar performance against little-known Lima, Angola, Portugal, in front of his hometown fans to catapult him into bigger fights.
Since the interim WBA title is at stake, Saturday’s winner will have a chance to fight WBA junior middleweight world champion Abass Barou (17-1, 9 KO) from Germany.
However, Hearn wants to make a bigger fight for Boots against Ortiz (23-0, 21 KO), who is scheduled to defend his interim WBC junior middleweight title against Erickson Lubin on November 8.
– Boxing division rankings: Novel fighter enters welterweight top 10 following Stanionis departure
“We want the biggest fights after Saturday, and for me the one that makes the most sense and that has been negotiated is Vergil Ortiz,” Hearn told ESPN. “We sat in a room with Golden Boy and DAZN, worked out a deal structure, and as part of his contract extension with us, Boots signed a contract for this fight with Ortiz.
“Eric Gomez [President of Golden Boy Promotions] he actually called me yesterday and said, “We want to do this fight, but we want to get our fight.” [vs. Lubin] first they will withdraw, and then we want this fight in the first quarter of 2026, so at the moment I take their word for it. We’ll see.
“I think it’s one of the best fights in boxing, I really do.”
Hearn expects Ennis to outperform at junior middleweight and says the Philadelphia boxer is ready to fight any world champion in 2026.
Ortiz, of Texas, and WBC junior middleweight world champion Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs), of California, are ranked first and second, respectively, at 154 pounds in the latest ESPN rankings.
However, Hearn believes Ennis will simply move through the junior middleweight division and could even compete at super middleweight.
“The most significant thing is to get a shot at the 154-pound world title, and that could come [WBO] Xander Zayas, [IBF] Bakhram Murtazaliev, [WBC] Sebastian Fundora, WBA champion Abass Baraou or WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz,” Hearn told ESPN.
“He’s going to be someone else at 154 pounds – and I don’t know how he got to 147 pounds. He could easily fight at 168 pounds, and I think middleweight is the division where you’re going to see him at his best.”
I believe Boots is the future No. 1 in the sport in weight-for-pound and the natural successor to Terence Crawford. We saw what he can do in Stanionis against the number 2 welterweight in the world, now I want to see him fight Ortiz, Murtazaliev, Zayas, and then I want to see him move up to 160 pounds and fight guys like Carlos Adames and Erislandy Lara. There will be at least a four-time world champion in my weight class, my opinion.
“At 147 pounds you saw a worn-out fighter but still phenomenal. The strange thing about boxing is that when a fighter goes up in weight, it’s still difficult for him to make weight. Everyone holds the weight tight and that’s an example that even at 154 pounds Boots will make it easier for him than at 147 pounds, but he’ll still be tight. He’ll do fine, but it’ll always be tight until he gets to a higher weight class.” “weight”.
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Boxing
Tim Bradley explains why Lamont Roach can beat William Zepeda
Published
2 hours agoon
June 13, 2026
Bradley says Roach’s experience against pressure players and southpaws will give him an advantage on August 1
Tim Bradley thinks Lamont Roach Jr. he is the player best placed to make William Zepeda lose. In a speech on his YouTube channel, Bradley selected Roach as the winner of the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1 and cited the fight’s stylistic advantages as a key factor.
“I’m picking Roach to win this fight,” Bradley said on his channel. “I think it’s a perfect match in style. I think Roach fights southpaws better than orthodox fighters.”
Roach comes into the fight coming off a draw with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and a contentious draw with Gervonta Davis, as well as two physically demanding fights against high-pressure fighters that Bradley says has prepared him for Zepeda’s relentless approach.
“I think he fought one of the best southpaws in the world in Tank Davis. And he did damn well against him,” Bradley said. “He wasn’t scared by the force of the impact.”
Bradley believes Roach has the tools needed to neutralize Zepeda’s pressure.
“When guys who like to get forward and be aggressive, nine times out of 10 they don’t like being tackled,” Bradley said. “Roach has the ability to do it. He has the knowledge and the IQ to be able to do it. And if he does it, he will win this fight.”
Bradley also cautioned that Roach cannot afford to leave matters in the judges’ hands, arguing that he needs to create more separation than in recent draws with Isaac Cruz and Gervonta Davis.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most vital fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last update: 2026/06/13 at 14:20
Boxing
Roy Jones Jr Says He’ll Return to Fighting One Fighter If He Gets an Eight-Figure Salary: ‘It’ll Make Me Prepare’
Published
4 hours agoon
June 13, 2026
Roy Jones Jr has announced his price and is demanding an eight-figure purse if he is to make it through the ropes.
At his peak, the American became one of the best players to ever grace the sport, and his breathtaking speed and overall physical prowess made him seem almost unbeatable.
After winning world titles at middleweight, super middleweight and airy heavyweight, Jones even moved up to heavyweight and dethroned John Ruiz to win the WBA belt in 2003.
The pound-for-pound legend retired in 2018, when many thought his best days were behind him, only to take it to the next level exhibition match with Mike Tyson in 2020
Although it was a non-contest, many believed that Tyson outplayed Jones, who then returned professionally against Anthony Pettis and lost an eight-round decision to the former UFC champion in 2023.
Since then, the 57-year-old has remained on the safer side of the competition, but is now eyeing another comeback, this time against Misfits boxer Tommy Fury.
Having delved into the power side of the sport following previous professional victories over Jake Paul and KSI, Fury is now preparing to face former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall.
I’m talking to Betting showroomJones said he would only be willing to challenge the 27-year-old if he was handsomely rewarded for his troubles.
“Is me vs. Tommy Fury dead? Nothing is dead forever. Roy Jones is still alive. Tommy Fury is still alive. Who knows? For the right money, it would make me go to the gym to get ready.”
“If they give me $10 million of course. Ten and more, yes. If they don’t give me $10 million and more, then no, I’m not wasting my time.”
Fury’s six-round exhibition match with Hall will take place later today at the Manchester Arena, although the result will not affect his professional record of 11-0 (4 KO).
“There are a confined number of fights and he can’t fight every fighter. So why don’t you consider that [Iglesias and Sheeraz] think about who wants to be at the front of the line,” Kellerman said on InsideRingShow.
Kellerman rejected the idea that Canelo was firing any of the fighters.
“He’s not saying he’s ignoring Sheeraz and Iglesias. In fact, he just gave them a path. He said, ‘I’m fighting Mbilli.’ You are fighting each other. This is not a duck. This is about business,” Kellerman said.
Sheeraz has already made it clear that he has no interest in following the route proposed by Canelo. Responding to a suggestion from an earlier interview, the British fighter said he respected Alvarez but would not allow another boxer to dictate his career decisions.
A fight between Sheeraz and Iglesias could answer many of the remaining questions about both men.
Canelo is preparing to fight Mbilli, a fighter widely viewed as one of the most threatening fighters in the division due to his constant pressure and furious attacks. Meanwhile, Sheeraz has had two fights since moving up to 168 pounds, a fight against Edgar Berlanga, who he stopped in July 2025 after Canelo had already beaten him a year earlier, and 39-year-old Al Begic for the vacant WBO title.
A fight between Sheeraz and Iglesias could eliminate many of the questions that still haunt both men. Sheeraz would have the opportunity to silence critics who believe his super middleweight resume is slim, while Iglesias could reaffirm a growing reputation that has led some fans to consider him the division’s boogeyman.
The winner would pose a bigger and more marketable challenge. Instead of facing Sheeraz immediately after his victory over Begic, Alvarez could face an opponent who had a decisive victory over another world champion, adding more significance to what could be one of the final marquee fights of his career.
Max Kellerman reacts to Canelo Álvarez’s comments about Hamzah Sheeraz and Osleys Iglesias 👀#InsideTheRing | The latest episode LIVE NOW on YouTube The Ring 📺 pic.twitter.com/tfOhDtjgit
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) June 12, 2026
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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