Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis has settled his lawsuit with promoter Chris Middendorf, a move that provides the welterweight contender with financial certainty just as he is reaching the world championship level of his promising career. The settlement announcement came on the same day a trial was set to get underway in Iowa. Ennis fights in a 147-pound division that is chock full of talent but unfortunately none of the best boxers in that division are currently fighting each other. The following message was posted on the Court's docket today: "The Court was advised by counsel that this case has settled. Closing documents (i.e., a stipulated dismissal signed by counsel for both parties) shall be filed by June 17, 2021. If no closing documents are filed, pursuant to Local Rule 41.c the Court may order dismissal of this action without further notice. Within 60 days of a dismissal order, either party may petition to have the case reinstated after showing good cause as to why settlement was not in fact consummated. Trial set for May 17, 2021, is canceled."
The lawsuit was filed in March 2019.
So what is career path for Ennis now? Errol Spence holds the IBF and WBC titles, two of the four major ones, but Spence said after his last fight he wanted to spend more time tending to his farm animals. Spence currently has no fight scheduled. Terence Crawford has the WBO title but can't seem to get a big fight from his promoter, Top Rank, so both Spence and Crawford have a free calendar should they be inclined to fight Ennis. Yordenis Ugas has the WBA title and seems the most willing to risk his title in a significant bout. Spence and Ugas are both part of the Premier Boxing Champions platform, as are several other top welterweights, and that was where Ennis had his last fight, so PBC seems to be the most likely landing spot for him, with perhaps one more fight against a big name (Keith Thurman? Shawn Porter?) before a world title shot. However, Ennis is aligned with Cameron Dunkin, who has helped sign many fighters with Top Rank over the years, so Top Rank also has a path to whisper anoffer into Ennis' ears.
The plaintiff in the now-settled lawsuit is Chris Middendorf, a long-time boxing insider who maintained he was Ennis' rightful promoter through a company called Victory Boxing Promotions. Middendorf sued Jaron, as well as Jaron's father and co-manager, Derek Ennis, Sr. and Cameron and Joseph Dunkin, two brothers who also claimed the right to promote Ennis. Cameron is also a long-time boxing insider and, according to Middendorf, the former manager of Ennis who switched over to the promotional side with a company called Now Boxing Promotions. Court filings revealed that Ennis' last six purses have totaled $2.1 million and of that amount, $426,600 was being held in escrow for whoever is determined to be Ennis' rightful promoter. The legal settlement should cover how that money is disbursed.
On April 23rd, plaintiff Chris Middendorf filed the following statement of the case:
Plaintiff Christopher Middendorf d/b/a Victory Boxing Promotions has alleged that on or about April 4, 2016, professional boxer Jaron Ennis signed a promotional agreement with Victory Boxing Promotions, a promotional company owned by Middendorf. Middendorf contends that Jaron Ennis and co-defendants Derek Ennis Sr., Cameron Dunkin and Joseph Dunkin were all aware that Middendorf owned Victory Boxing Promtions and these same defendants actually worked together alongside Middendorf for Jaron’s first 22 professional fights (Ennis won all of them). Soon after his 22nd fight in November 2018, Defendant Jaron Ennis and his manager Cameron Dunkin refused to communicate with Plaintiff about scheduling Ennis’s next fight. Specifically, Jaron Ennis and his father Derek Sr. and Dunkin drafted a press release and published it on the several major boxing websites where they contended that Middendorf was never Jaron Ennis’s promoter.
Around the same time as the press release, the Dunkins and Ennis Sr. convinced Jaron to sign a new promotional agreement with an upstart boxing promotional company which is actually owned by Cameron Dunkin called Now Boxing Promtions. These three Defendants essentially ochastrated the stealing of the promotional rights to promote Jaron Ennis from Middendorf.
Middendorf contends that he and Jaron had a valid and enforceable contract and that Jaron was well aware that Middendorf was and had been his promoter for years. When Jaron refused to fight for Middendorf, he [according to Middendorf] breached their valid contract, and as a result, Middendorf is entitled to the damages that flow from the breach of their contract, including but not limited to, lost profits, attorneys’ fees and expenses, interest, and costs.
With today's news, the lawsuit is now settled.
