The beauty of the 154lbs division is that picking the best fighter in the division is this narrow: “I’ve got to see how this weekend pans out,” said Chris Algieri.
With three belts on the line in two bouts – WBO champion Xander Zayas versus WBA champion Abass Baraou in Puerto Rico; IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev versus England’s Josh Kelly in Newcastle, England – and a herd of others in contention for the mythical claim, watching this weight class play out is boxing’s most gripping theater.
Of course, the best fight could be the one between two unbeaten non-champions, Jaron “Boots” Ennis versus Vergil Ortiz Jnr, if the parties can come through at the bargaining table.
In a comment left on Tuesday’s BoxingScene social-media post, “Pug’s Corner”, which addressed the urgency of the sides huddling this week, Ortiz’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya wrote: “Let’s keep it real! We are in negotiations with DAZN and I’ve been negotiating this fight for some time now. It will happen.”
The question is when? The other 154lbs champion, Sebastian Fundora, has slid into the Las Vegas date of March 28 that was earmarked for Ortiz-Ennis, and there’s speculation that the winner of Murtazaliev-Kelly will emerge as the top alternative for Philadelphia’s Ennis if plans with Ortiz go awry.
On Tuesday’s edition of ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today”, former 140lbs champion Algieri and ex-welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi discussed the division they referred to as “an embarrassment of riches”.
It includes former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo, former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jnr, former unified welterweight champion and Fundora’s opponent Keith Thurman, and former champions Tim Tszyu and Israil Madrimov.
Before diving into the weekend fights, Malignaggi said that the altered Ortiz-Ennis talks were affected by the absence of financial support from Saudi Arabian boxing financier Turki Alalshikh.
“I wouldn’t say it’s Turki’s fault, but it’s a product of the market shift… the market is starting to settle into a Paramount+-Zuffa [Boxing] and DAZN-Matchroom sides… and there’s casualties of war, and Ortiz-Ennis may be it,” Malignaggi said.
Algieri recalled the night in November Ortiz knocked out Erickson Lubin in the second round in Texas, and Ennis showed up in the ring afterwards for a face-off.
“You saw … both guys want the fight,” Algieri said.
And Malignaggi wondered if it would be better served to happen as a world-championship fight? Now we find out if the accountants want it just as badly as Ortiz and Ennis.
If it’s delayed – or worse yet, scrapped – Ennis has immediate options. Matchroom stablemate Kelly has already signed to fight him if he wins. Murtazaliev’s promoter Kathy Duva has said she would approve of an Ennis bout, and Madrimov’s name has also been floated.
Murtazaliev hasn’t fought since October 2024; Duva operates without a major streaming deal. Algieri called him the division’s “dark horse” and the intrigue with Kelly, 17-1-1, is if his boxing skill can prove problematic for the unbeaten Russian.
Malignaggi said “the cat’s out of the bag” with Kelly, in that he has to prove he can handle the pressure of Murtazaliev after being troubled by others providing offensive volume.
“When the heat gets cooking, there is that thing about [Kelly]. He has the chance to right the ship. Will Josh Kelly turn the corner?” Malignaggi asked.
In the title fight between new champions, Algieri favors the 23-year-old Zayas, 22-0 (11KOs), over the 31-year-old German Baraou, who upset Cuba’s Yoenis Tellez in August.
Malignaggi said it’d “be a shame” if this group of 154-pounders failed to all fight each other as the former class of champion lightweights including Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia did with a few exceptions.
“It doesn’t look like it … it seems they all want to fight each other,” Algieri answered.
