Is Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis Ready For A Terence Crawford Fight Next?

It’s no secret that, at times, boxing media and fans can get caught up in the moment and say things that are either spot-on or premature. On Saturday night, IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) earned a one-sided TKO victory over David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) at his homecoming inside the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA. The victory had those on social media calling for a Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) fight to be next on the schedule for Ennis but is he ready for that fight next, or are we all simply caught up in the moment?

“Most Definitely, Let’s Make It Happen”

Those were the words of Ennis, who Chris Mannix asked during the in-ring post-fight interview if he would want the Crawford fight if he beats Israil Madrimov on August 3. Ennis would later add, “That’s what I want, the big names; Terence Crawford, anybody else at the weight with a big name, let’s get it.” That statement sent social media into a frenzy as the thought of finally getting Crawford vs. Ennis began forming in everyone’s mind. The attention caught the eye of Turki Alalshikh, who then posted, “I just reached out to boxer Jaron Ennis and Eddie Hearn to congratulate him on his win, and I’d love to see Ennis in fight with Crawford at weight 154 soon.” That’s boxing’s premier financier now acknowledging that the people want to see it, and he will deliver if it’s there to be made. The only question that remains is, should Ennis take that fight next, or does he need some more polishing before he can take a fight with a P4P fighter like Crawford?

Activity & Level of Opponents Matter

Yes, Ennis is the IBF welterweight champion but when you look down at his BoxRec, has he faced and defeated the quality of opponents that will make him ready for Crawford? The answer is no, as he hasn’t faced guys who were either former world champions or top-level talent. Part of that has been due to his inactivity, which could be attributed to Showtime Boxing closing its doors and going to court with his old promoter. When the 27-year-old Ennis from Philadelphia, PA, fights, he looks spectacular, but now he’s in a paper-thin division regarding talent. All the top names went to junior middleweight, and now everyone should believe he is ready for Crawford? I know Ennis’ official title run at welterweight just started, but if he wants a Crawford fight, he needs to move up now and start campaigning at 154, which is overloaded with talent.

It’s really a shame that Ennis’ career hasn’t been what it should have been up to this point. He appears to be a humble, respectable person with some high-level talent, but the direction he’s been going has mirrored that of former two-division champion Demetrius ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade. At his peak, Andrade was a high-level pugilist but regardless of who he was signed to, he just couldn’t get the big fights until he was much older and passed his physical prime. A 6’0” southpaw was not a fighter anyone wanted to face, and now Ennis is starting to run into that problem as well. Ennis is a 5’10” switch hitter with a 74” reach, and that’s not a guy many people will be knocking on the door to face.

There Are Bigger Names At 154

Ennis is 27 years old and hitting his physical prime, so why not challenge those in the junior middleweight division instead of wasting time at 147? There is Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Serhii Bohachuk, Errol Spence Jr., Charles Conwell, Jesus Ramos, Xander Zayas, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin, Josh Kelly, and others who would all be great fights to test how good of a fighter he really is or he can stay at welterweight, keep getting avoided by the other champions and continue to let the prime years of his career go by. It’s a tough decision to make, but it has to be made to capitalize on his current momentum after having over 14,000 people in attendance for his fight on Saturday night in Philly.

‘Boots’ Ennis is a special talent. How special is yet to be determined, and to find out, he needs to stay active and face the big names—no more softballs for Ennis. He shouldn’t take a Crawford fight next but should move up right away. Matchroom & Eddie Hearn need to figure out a way to get Ennis back in the ring sooner rather than later, ideally before the year’s end.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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