‘Money’s Not There’ For Terence Crawford to Fight Jaron Ennis, Says Eddie Hearn

As Jaron Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) squares up to Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) for his unified WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles, fans are hopeful that ‘Boots’ Ennis will soon pick a showdown against boxing superstar Terence Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs). But according to Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn, fans would have to wait a bit longer to see it reach fruition.

Talking at Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Hearn shed light on why it just might not be the right time for Ennis to face Crawford.

“Bud’s not an idiot. He knows how good this guy is. I’m sure he thinks he can win because he’s a competitor. At that time, the money’s not there to fight Boots that weighs up with a risk,” he said.

Hearn believes that the fight is currently not financially compelling enough for Crawford because the risk far outweighs the reward. In Hearn‘s view, Ennis was already regarded by insiders as one of the most gifted and dangerous fighters in boxing, but he had not yet built the résumé, mainstream profile or pay-per-view drawing power to make the matchup a major commercial event.

That meant Crawford would have been taking on a potentially tough challenge without receiving the kind of payday or legacy boost that usually accompanies such a dangerous fight. Hearn has argued that once Crawford became the undisputed welterweight champion, he had little reason to risk everything against a younger, hungry contender who wasn’t yet a proven box-office attraction.

However, Hearn believes that the upcoming fight might just ring in a major change to Ennis’ resume.

“As this starts to change and this fight becomes one of the biggest fights in boxing, if he was to ever come back, the biggest fight for Bud, the only fight for Bud, is this guy,” said Hearn.

“We’ll Be Ready”

And Hearn certainly is confident in his ward when the day comes for him to fight Crawford. In the same interview, he was hopeful that Crawford would pick the fight once the payday was sizeable.

“I would go into that fight the same way I told you earlier. I sit down and say, ‘Boots, show him.’ That’s the most unbelievable thing about representing this guy. Bud loves his money. If that fight becomes a massive payday, he’ll probably take it. We’ll be ready,” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

See author's posts