‘This is where they say the smoke at’: Boots talks move to junior middleweight

Jaron Ennis says he’s going up to 154 because getting unifications have proven difficult and he’s only getting older.

Unified welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis spends some time talking about his intention to move up in weight to 154 lbs in an effort to target big fights that he’s had trouble securing down at welterweight.

As Boots tells it, the fact that getting more unification fights down at 147 has proven difficult combined with the fact that he’s getting older and it being increasingly harder to make the weight means it’s time to target big fights up in weight. Here’s some of what he had to say below.

Ennis on moving up to 154

“I feel like now’s the time because I’ve been at ‘47 for nine years, almost ten years. I’ve been making that weight for a long time and I feel like the time is right. It’s time for me to be comfortable and be myself.

On moving up despite his dream of going undisputed at 147

“What made me pivot is some of these other champions, they be taking other fights and things like that in between, and I just feel like I don’t have no time for that. My goal was to be having them back to back, fight champion after champion after champion and move up to 154. Like I always said in previous interviews, I’m down here for the belts.

“It’s time to move up, time to be me, time to be comfortable and not play a dangerous game going down to ‘47 ‘cause you got to be on point. You cutting weight, any miss, hiccup or anything like that, you can have an off night and I don’t want to have no off nights.

“After that last performance every fight I have to have a crazy performance, an explosive performance every time out, and that’s what I want to give you guys. So I think ‘54 is where I’m going to do it at and this is where they say the smoke at so, I’m here now. Let’s make it happen, let’s get it poppin’.”