Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Teofimo Lopez are on course to meet in early August under Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season banner after Eddie Hearn confirmed “active negotiations” for a welterweight clash in Saudi Arabia. The Matchroom boss told FightHype the bout would come “a month or two sooner than planned” for the unified IBF/WBA 147-lb champ but represents a “great option” that both fighters want now.
Watch Lopez vs. Barzboza highlights: Watch
A Saudi date means Ennis will pause his undisputed quest - WBA mandatory Shakhram Giyasov is again expected to accept step-aside money - while Lopez jumps two weight classes from 140, where he holds the WBO title. Hearn floated catch-weight talk (“47/54”) yet admitted the reality could see a fully hydrated Boots outweigh the naturally smaller Teofimo by 20 lbs on fight night.
Critics argue Lopez’s size deficit render the matchup more spectacle than sporting merit, but the payday is huge for both and delivers Riyadh another marquee U.S. name pairing. Alalshikh teased the bout on X this week, promising “fireworks for the Kingdom” in a summer card likely to include heavyweight and women’s title action.
Ennis must decide quickly: accept the Saudi millions and delay mandatory duties, or stick to his original September/October timeline and risk losing momentum.
Imae Credit: DAZN