Eddie Hearn knows Jaron Ennis is a special talent, so he tried to secure a more than capable first opponent for "Boots" at 154 pounds.

Brian Mendoza wasn’t surprised when his phone rang with an offer to fight the Philly star. What was surprising, however, were the numbers attached to it.

“There was a little bit of negotiations, but it wasn’t getting anywhere because they weren’t offering the money,” Mendoza said on The PorterWay Podcast.

Mendoza (23-4, 17 KOs) isn’t picky, but he also won’t allow anyone to take advantage of him. Considering what he’s accomplished, he doesn't feel what was presented to him for an Ennis fight made sense.

“I barely even negotiate, I’m taking these calls,” Mendoza continued. “The reason I’m getting these opportunities is because I’m the first one to say yes. At this point, I’ve won the titles and stuff, but I’m trying to break over these real paychecks that everybody else is getting.”

In April 2023, Mendoza shocked the world when he won the WBC interim title against Sebastian Fundora, but things haven't gone to plan since.

That upset win earned him a world title shot against Tim Tszyu. However, he wasn’t competitive in a lopsided decision loss. A few months later, Mendoza came up short again, this time to Serhii Bohachuk.

Following that defeat, Mendoza took some time to recharge. It did wonders as he scored a fourth-round KO win over Jesus Antonio Rojas. Still, he'd have been a gigantic underdog against Ennis.

The beating Ennis dished out to Eimantas Stanionis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on April 12 made him a unified welterweight champion. But squeezing down in weight became too difficult, resulting in his new crusade at 154 pounds.

Numerous names declined Ennis’ offer until it landed on the desk of Uisma Lima. The pair will officially clash on October 11 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Ennis’ hometown.

To a certain extent, Mendoza is annoyed that he isn’t the one fighting the smooth switch-hitter. Eventually, however, he's open to re-visiting negotiations.

“There’s a couple things that I don’t really want to put out there, but the timing of the fight wouldn’t have been cool,” Mendoza said. “It didn’t get the real traction that it should’ve, but that’s definitely a fight I’m open to.”