Turki Al-Sheikh revealed tonight on X his plans for a mini-tournament involving Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fighting Teofimo Lopez on the Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney 2 card in October in Riyadh. The winners of those two fights will face each other in February, and the losers will meet on the same card.
Turki’s Tournament
Turki says he still needs to speak with Matchroom, Golden Boy Promotions, and PBC to let them know his plans to use their fighters.
It’s tough for Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) to move up to 147 pounds to take on what many fans believe is the King of the welterweight division, IBF champion Jaron Ennis.
When the smoke clears, these are the likely fights we will see in February.
- Jaron Ennis vs. Ryan Garcia – *Winners bracket
- Devin Haney vs. Teofimo Lopez – Losers consolation
Lopez’s punching power gives him an excellent chance of beating Haney. At 147, Ennis would probably be too big, too strong, and too experienced for Ryan.
Of course, Teofimo wants the fight with Ennis because it gives him a big payday and a chance to prove himself against an elite-level fighter. As long as Teo is competitive in a losing effort, his stock will rise because he’s stultified right now at 140, languishing in a dead division, and fighting no-name opposition.
When you look at the matchups, it’s an ideal situation for IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis because he stands an excellent chance of being the last man standing. He would be a big favorite to defeat Teofimo in October and then defeat the Garcia vs. Haney 2 winner. Ennis would have the size and experience advantage at 147 against any of the fighters in Turki’s proposed mini-tournament.
Ryan is fighting Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in May, and Haney battles Jose Ramirez on the same card at Times Square in New York. Neither of these fights are gimmes for Ryan and Haney, but it looks like it doesn’t like it doesn’t matter if they lose. Turki isn’t saying anything about Cruz or Ramirez having a chance to fight on his October card, but you’d have to believe he would use them at some later point in one of his events.
Turki’s Vision
it is easy…fight in may then the big rematch in october and in the same card we will try Teo against BOOTS then the winner against the winner and loser against loser in February…need to discuss with our partners top rank and matchroom and goldenboy and PBC 🥊🔥
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 18, 2025
Hey, I am a multifaceted professional excelling in the realms of blogging, YouTube content creation, and entrepreneurship.
With a passion for sharing knowledge and inspiring others, I established a strong presence in the digital sphere through his captivating blog articles and engaging video content.