UNIFIED welterweight titlist Jaron Ennis has been elevated to ‘super’ WBA world champion, allowing Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero to fight for his old trinket.
‘Boots’ dethroned Eimantas Stanionis, claiming the WBA strap while also retaining his IBF belt, with an emphatic sixth-round stoppage victory earlier this month.
But now, it would appear that the men in blazers – those expansive minds behind the WBA’s latest decision – have failed to remove the dollar signs obscuring their vision.
Back in 2021, the sanctioning body launched its title reduction strategy aimed at, like it says on the tin, reducing the number of meaningless black and gold belts.
Instead of sticking to that very logical plan, however, it seems that the WBA has performed an almighty U-turn in a bid to bolster its cut from each fighter’s purse.
Sure enough, Garcia, 24-1 (20 KOs), will soon be handsomely rewarded after testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance, before his clash with Devin Haney last year.
And while his victory over Haney was then overturned to a no-contest, the 26-year-old was only handed a year-long ban by the New York State Athletic Commission.
So now, in his first outing since the controversial fight, Garcia will lock horns with sturdy contender Romero, 16-2 (13 KOs), on May 2, with the pair headlining a card at Times Square, New York.
Meanwhile, with the WBA confirming its vacant welterweight championship to be on the line for Garcia-Romero, ‘super’ champion Ennis has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov within 120 days of his last fight.
But regardless of whether Ennis fulfils his mandatory obligation, he is, without a shadow of doubt, the universally recognised champion at 147lbs.
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