Ennis is ranked as The Ring's No. 1 fighter in the division, a rating previously held by Vergil Ortiz Jr., who's now No. 2.

Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) and Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) were supposed to square off sometime in the first half of the year, but the fight never came to fruition because the latter got entangled in a legal dispute with Golden Boy in January.

Finally, on Friday, the parties reached a settlement. And hours later Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn stepped in front of the media to offer his initial remarks on rekindling the much-desired matchup.

"Yesterday's price is not today's price, and that's not trying to be arrogant. That's just the fact," Hearn said. "I'm not trying to be negative about the fight. You've heard me talk about the fight for a year and how great a fight it was, and it still is. There's nothing changed in that respect. The only thing that's changed is Boots has become a unified world champion, and there can be no doubt at the way that his star has risen in that process.

"He was taking the smaller side of the piece last time. He was going to be the B-side. He agreed to everything that they wanted to get that opportunity. So you imagine how he feels now that he's king of the castle. And we're not looking to rub anyone's nose in, but this has to be reflected."

Hearn suggested that title unification fights against IBF champion Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs), a fighter he promotes, and WBC belt holder Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), who is tied to PBC, are the more ideal encounters for Ennis instead of Ortiz. Hearn added that Ennis has already labeled Fundora as the "absolute first choice" for his next fight.

"Vergil doesn’t have anything Boots wants other than a big fight and a big payday," Hearn said. "What does Boots want to do now? He wants to unify. He wants to win the other belts. He wants to fight Kelly and Fundora. Kelly has to win against Caoimhin Agyarko on July 25. Fundora has become a good name. I mean, he's got that freak stature which makes every fight intriguing because Boots is going to be eight inches smaller than him.

But has the Boots-Ortiz boat already sailed?

"Boots has absolutely no problem fighting Ortiz," Hearn said. "I understand the demand for the Ortiz fight. It's a brilliant fight. That fight now is twice as big as before Boots beat Zayas. Boots' stars went through the roof.

"What's the deal? Tell us what the money is. And I'll go to Jaron, and I'll say, 'We got Kelly, Fundora, or Ortiz.' The biggest money fight is Ortiz, right? The legacy comes with the belts, and Boots wants legacy. He also wants money, but legacy is very important to him.

"I don't rule out that Ortiz fight at all. One thing is for sure – he ain't close at all at the moment. But we have no problem making the fight if the deal is right, and Boots says, 'Yes.'"