Jaron Ennis won’t wait around much longer for the title unification fights he wants in the welterweight division.

That’s the sense his promoter, Eddie Hearn, gets now that Brian Norman’s handlers have turned down an offer to sign a contract to face Ennis in the fall if the unbeaten WBO 147-pound champion defeats Japan’s Jin Sasaki next month.

Norman (27-0, 21 KOs, 1 NC), of Conyers, Georgia, is scheduled to defend his WBO belt against Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) on June 19 at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs, 1 NC), who owns The Ring, IBF and WBA belts, also wants to box WBC champ Mario Barrios. San Antonio’s Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) is also unavailable to Ennis because he is committed to fighting Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) on July 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Turki Alalshikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has instead proposed Teofimo Lopez as Ennis’ next opponent. If that fight fails to materialize, Hearn thinks Ennis will give up his titles and move up to the 154-pound division for his next bout in October or November.

"The only reason Jaron was staying at 147 was to try and unify and face the champions,” Hearn told The Ring. “And if we can’t do that, there is a very real chance that he will move to 154. We know that right now we can’t fight Brian Norman. Right now, we can’t fight Barrios. And we’ve also got a [WBA] mandatory with Shakhram Giyasov.

“Now the Teofimo Lopez fight presents itself. Commercially, it’s a good option. I think Boots looks great in that fight and wins that fight. It’s good profile, good money. But Jaron is quite unique. I think most fighters that only care about the money would’ve gone, 'Boom! Let’s do it.' But he’s very consistent on his approach about legacy and belts and stuff like that.”

Las Vegas’ Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) holds The Ring and WBO titles at junior welterweight. The former unified lightweight champion is eager nonetheless to move up seven pounds to challenge Ennis.

“We are discussing and negotiating that fight,” Hearn said. “And I think if Boots stays at 147, I think he will fight Teofimo. But if he doesn’t, I think he’ll move to 154 and he’ll do it next, for his next fight. The danger of that is you give up your championship and you move up without your championship, which is inevitable at some point.”

Matchroom Boxing’s chairman realizes Ennis will have less leverage if he moves up seven pounds to junior middleweight. Without a belt, it’ll be easier for pursued opponents to turn down a fight with one of the most dangerous, talented boxers in the world.

“You know how difficult it is to match Boots, full stop, because of how good he is,” Hearn said. “And with the belts, it enables you to have the leverage to convince people to take the risk. But if you move to 154 and you’re like, ‘Oh, do you wanna fight Boots?’ Then they’ll say, ‘Well, what for? An intercontinental title?[ Expletive] that! Unless you pay me an absolute fortune.'"

Hearn knows, though, that Alalshikh would offer opposing promoters, namely Oscar De La Hoya, more than enough compensation to convince a high-profile fighter like Vergil Ortiz Jr. to face Ennis. Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), a knockout artist from Grand Prairie, Texas, is the 154-pound opponent that most appeals to Ennis.

“Vergil-Boots is a great fight that I think the Saudis would make,” Hearn said, “and I think that could happen.”