Ennis Reveals New York Commission Forced Him to Trim Beard Before Fight
"They told me to do it. It was like, can you, uh, can you trim it down? And I'm like, so I had to get another haircut. I had got two haircuts within 2 days."
About this episode
Unified super welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis sat down with host Ariel Helwani to discuss his recent dominant victory over Liam Paro, where he unified titles with a sixth-round stoppage that included a spectacular third-round war that has been called the round of the year. Ennis revealed he has watched the fight three times and dismissed concerns that he was hurt during the explosive exchanges, explaining he was simply being lazy in moments and never in retreat mode. The undefeated champion expressed respect for Paro's toughness and believes his opponent would have gotten up if the corner hadn't thrown in the towel, though Ennis thinks it would have been stopped that round regardless.
In a significant revelation, Ennis disclosed that he traveled uninvited to Virgil Ortiz Jr.'s fight to confront him face-to-face about making their bout happen, but claims Ortiz's team gave them a hard time and tried to keep them away from ringside, suggesting Ortiz doesn't genuinely want the fight despite public call-outs. Ennis also revealed the New York State Athletic Commission forced him to trim his beard before the fight, requiring a second haircut within 48 hours, which he believes was a tactic by his opponent's team. The champion announced he wraps his own hands, a practice he's maintained since the amateurs that is extremely rare among elite fighters.
Ennis dismissed critical tweets from Terence Crawford after his victory and stated he won't get proper credit until he retires undefeated. He plans to discuss his next move with promoter Eddie Hearn this week, with potential targets including Sebastian Fundora for undisputed status or the highly anticipated Ortiz fight. The champion hopes to return to the ring in November or December, potentially fighting in New York again, and considers himself the number one pound-for-pound fighter despite being ranked ninth officially.
Key takeaways
- Jaron Ennis reveals he traveled uninvited to Virgil Ortiz Jr.'s fight to confront him face-to-face but claims Ortiz's team made it difficult and doesn't genuinely want the fight despite public call-outs
- Ennis discloses the New York State Athletic Commission forced him to trim his beard before his championship fight, requiring a second haircut within 48 hours as a potential gamesmanship tactic
- The unified champion says he has wrapped his own hands throughout his entire professional career since the amateurs, an extremely rare practice among elite boxers
- Ennis watched his sixth-round stoppage of Liam Paro three times and insists he was never hurt during the explosive third-round exchanges, attributing his performance to being lazy in moments
- The champion believes Paro would have gotten up if the corner hadn't stopped the fight but thinks it would have been stopped that round anyway, and he doesn't believe Paro quit
- Ennis dismisses Terence Crawford's critical tweets after the fight and says he won't receive proper credit until he retires as an undefeated legend
- The undefeated champion considers himself the number one pound-for-pound fighter despite being ranked ninth officially and plans to discuss his next fight with Eddie Hearn targeting either Fundora for undisputed or Ortiz