JARON Ennis’ desire to become the undisputed welterweight king has encountered a spanner in the works, with WBA mandatory challenger Shakram Giyasov emerging as a possible opponent.
‘Boots’ claimed his black and gold strap, becoming the unified champion at 147lbs, after securing a destructive sixth-round stoppage victory over Eimantas Stanionis.
His comprehensive performance earlier this month has led many to regard him as the division’s top dog, while fellow champions Mario Barrios and Brian Norman Jr would most likely dispute that claim.
In any case, WBA and IBF titlist Ennis, 34-0 (30 KOs), has since been ordered to face Giyasov, while also getting elevated to ‘super’ champion, by the WBA.
The sanctioning body’s decision arrived just yesterday, presenting Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero with the opportunity to claim Ennis’ vacant title when they collide on May 2.
But regardless of the WBA’s prolific creation of meaningless belts, ‘Boots’ is of course still emphatically recognised as the unified champion at welterweight.
The 27-year-old’s ultimate goal, however, is to amass all the jewellery in his division, with WBC champion Barrios and WBO titlist Norman remaining at the top of his hit list.
Representing a potential stumbling block, meanwhile, is Giyasov, who retained his number-one position with a fourth-round stoppage victory on the undercard of Ennis-Stanionis.
Unsurprisingly, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes Ennis, remains determined to deliver a more appetizing unification showdown for his American star.
But equally, with the WBA ordering ‘Boots’ to face Giyasov within 120 days of his last outing, the unbeaten Uzbek seemingly represents a likely option.
“Obviously, the plan for ‘Boots’ is to try and beat those other champions but, at the same time, every time you unify, you seem to have a mandatory obligation that you’ve got to take care of,” Hearn told Boxing News.
“We’ll talk next week and plan what’s next. The plan would really be to fight Mario Barrios or Brian Norman Jr but, at the same time, we have to fight our mandatory [challengers], and maybe it could be Giyasov next.”
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