Saudi boxing czar Turki Alalshikh lit social media on fire this week, posting an X-poll asking fans whether they want to see newly unified welterweight king Jaron “Boots” Ennis face WBO super-lightweight champion Teófimo Lopez next. The timing is bold: Ennis just stopped Eimantas Stanionis on 12 April to add the WBA strap to his IBF title, while Lopez still must defend his 140-lb belt against unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr. on 2 May in Times Square.
There’s a regulatory wrinkle. Hours before Turki’s tweet, the WBA upgraded Ennis to “Super” champion and ordered him to face 2016 Olympic silver medallist Shakhram Giyasov within 120 days, honouring a step-aside deal that allowed Boots-Stanionis to happen.
Watch a day in the training camp with Teofimo Lopez: Watch
From Lopez’s side, jumping two divisions could be the lucrative alternative to risk-laden unifications with IBF champ Richardson Hitchins or KO artist Subriel Matías. A Boots showdown in Saudi or Las Vegas would dwarf those paydays and give Teo a built-in alibi if he loses: “I dared to be great against the No. 1 welterweight.”
Boots’ promoter Eddie Hearn is reportedly receptive, knowing a Lopez clash sells bigger than Giyasov; yet privately, team Ennis view the Uzbek as the more dangerous stylistic assignment. Turki’s poll therefore serves two purposes: it gauges fan appetite and pressures the sanctioning bodies to bend if the groundswell is strong enough.
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Image Credit: DAZN