Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ plans to secure a unified championship bout with Brian Norman Jr. in the welterweight division is dead in the water. Was it too much greed from Norman Jr.? Or was he clout-chasing from the moment the negotiations started, knowing that he would be ducking the fight anyway? Nevertheless, Norman Jr. missed out on the biggest paycheck of his career.

Reportedly, the Georgia native will fight Derrieck Cuevas on November 8th at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, on the undercard of lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis vs. Gustavo Lemos. During the negotiation phase, Hearn reportedly sent three fight offers to Brian Norman Jr.’s team, but none of them were satisfactory enough for them. The last and final offer from the Matchroom head was reportedly $1.2 million, but ‘The Assassin II’ turned it down, reportedly asking for $2 million. After Brian Norman Jr. successfully priced himself out of the fight, Eddie Hearn was visibly frustrated as he talked to ITV about the failed negotiations for the unification bout.

Taking shots at Brian Norman and his manager Adrian Clark, he told IFL TV, “Congratulations guys, you f***ed it up; you’re gonna get $200,000 to fight on a prospect’s undercard.”

Likening the 23-year-old fighter’s trainer and father, Brian Norman Sr., to Bill Haney (former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney’s father), Hearn mockingly stated, “Well done. Magical… Brian Norman Sr., he’s like Bill Haney from Wish.” Notably, Norman Senior, just like Bill Haney, overestimates his son’s worth, according to Hearn.

Further elaborating on the massive paycheck Norman Jr missed out on, Hearn explained, “Because of what Boots was prepared to take for the unification, this [would’ve been] a 50/50 split. Yet Noman won’t take 17½x what he made in his last fight. That’s where the game is so messed up.”

Moreover, to add more substance to the accusation of ducking, Jaron Ennis’ father, Bozy Ennis has come up with an interesting detail about one of the sparring sessions between his son and Brian Norman Jr.

Beat Brian Norman Junior at his own game!

In an interview with YSM sports media, Jaron Ennis’ father revealed that ‘Boots’ beat Norman Jr. within three rounds in a sparring session. Additionally, Bosy Ennis explained that Ennis was sparring in a style Norman Jr was comfortable with, but still beat him.

“Brian’s father said that they’ll do whatever(however many rounds of sparring they want). I said okay, they got in there..Boots broke him down in 3 rounds and I made Boots fight inside with him. His own game and backed him up,” Bozy revealed.

Meanwhile, Jaron Ennis, who is desperate to become the undisputed champion in the welterweight division, was extremely frustrated with the way Norman Jr’s team was negotiating the fight. “I don’t know if he’s looking for a retirement check or what, but I heard him say I ain’t a big dog…if you don’t think I’m a big dog why would you turn down your biggest payday multiple times?! C’MON!” Ennis stated in one of his interviews.

With the fight with the WBO champion Brian Norman Jr off the table, Eddie Hearn will now have to look to Mario Barrios and Eimantas Stanionis to set up a title unification bout for Ennis to take the first steps towards fulfilling Boots’ dream of becoming undisputed.

Nevertheless, do you think Brian Norman Jr. was correct in turning down the fight of such stature and financial lucrativiteness? Or, do you think Eddie Hearn could have budged and given Norman Jr the $2 million he wanted?  Let us know in the comment section below.