Unified WBA welterweight champion Jaron Ennis has been elevated to `super` champion status, paving the way for Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero to compete for his former, now vacant, belt.
`Boots` secured the WBA belt and retained his IBF title by defeating Eimantas Stanionis with a decisive sixth-round knockout victory earlier this month.
However, it appears the WBA officials behind this latest decision have once again allowed financial interests to overshadow sporting principles.
Back in 2021, the organization launched a strategy specifically aimed at reducing the number of superfluous belts in circulation.
But instead of adhering to this logical plan, the WBA seems to have sharply reversed course, seemingly to increase its revenue share from fighter purses.
Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) is scheduled to receive a considerable purse for an upcoming fight, despite having tested positive for ostarine, a prohibited substance, before his bout with Devin Haney last year.
Although his victory over Haney was subsequently overturned and ruled a no-contest, the 26-year-old fighter received only a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission.
Now, in his first appearance since that controversial fight, Garcia is set to face tough contender Rolly Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) on May 2nd. The match is slated to headline an event at Times Square in New York.
Meanwhile, with the WBA confirming that its vacant welterweight championship will be on the line for the Garcia-Romero contest, `super` champion Ennis has been mandated to defend against mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov within 120 days of his last fight.
But regardless of whether Ennis fulfills his mandatory obligation, he remains, without question, the widely recognized champion in the 147-pound welterweight division.
