Boxing analyst Tim Bradley feels Terence Crawford must battle Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to point out the followers that he’s not afraid of the younger phenom.
Bradley Challenges Crawford to Face Ennis
Followers consider the 36-year-old Crawford fled the 147 about division to keep away from his IBF obligatory ‘Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), who many view as a youthful, stronger, and higher model of the Nebraska native.
Crawford selected to not battle Boots Ennis, shifting as much as 154. He’ll battle Israil Madrimov subsequent for his WBA junior middleweight title on August third in Los Angeles.
Assuming Crawford is victorious in opposition to Madrimov, he’s anticipated to be given a free title shot in opposition to undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
With the cash the Saudis can pay Crawford to battle Canelo, he gained’t mess with Boots Ennis and probably get crushed.
When a fighter is as outdated as Crawford, turning 37 in October, it’s too dangerous to battle a younger phenom like Boots Ennis, particularly when a giant payday looms in opposition to Canelo in early 2025.
A Enterprise Choice, Not a Sporting One
In an ideal world, Crawford would battle Boots Ennis, show who the higher fighter is, after which transfer as much as 168 and beat the highest contender in that weight class, David Benavidez, earlier than difficult Canelo for his 4 world titles.
That’s not occurring as a result of Canelo vs. Crawford is a business-level battle, not a sporting match. Followers shouldn’t get issues twisted into believing it’s a sporting match. It’s not.
Bradley needs Crawford to battle Boots, both at 147 or 154. Ennis is keen to maneuver as much as 154 to battle Crawford, and he believes he can beat the outdated lion, who has by no means fought anybody almost nearly as good as him throughout his 16-year profession.
Ennis because the “Subsequent Crawford”
“You bought Boots. That’s a superb battle. I believe it’s a winnable battle. It takes care of loads of the banter of, ‘You haven’t confronted anyone,’ that Crawford faces on a day-to-day foundation,” mentioned boxing skilled Tim Bradley to Sean Zittel’s YouTube channel about what Terence Crawford would achieve by combating Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Crawford vs. Ennis is winnable for both fighter. Terence has been out of the ring a yr, celebrating his victory over Errol Spence Jr. final yr in July, and he’s a little bit older now. Boots is youthful and stronger than Crawford. A battle in opposition to him would contain Crawford taking extra punishment than ever, and he may not be as much as it.
“Struggle Boots, the man that’s up and coming. The man that everyone believes is the following coming of you, Crawford. You beat him, and also you add extra to your legacy. I believe Crawford ought to ultimately if he’s going to remain within the sport any longer, he wants to go to that Boots,” mentioned Bradley.
Even when Crawford had not been supplied the Canelo battle, he most likely would have performed the identical factor by swerving Boots and going as much as 154, which is safer for an growing old fighter. While you get outdated, you don’t wish to mess with a younger lion like Boots, and have him wreck your PPV state of affairs, particularly when simply reached that degree, because of Spence’s assist.
“Boots hasn’t had the chance to point out his greatness as a result of nobody has given him that chance. That’s not his fault, and no person needs to battle him as a result of they know he’s that good, together with Crawford,” mentioned Bradley.
Crawford isn’t any completely different than all the opposite fighters who wished no half in combating Boots Ennis. He is aware of how harmful he’s, so he’s moved as much as 154, hoping to make use of Madrimov as a stepping stone. Which may not work out both, however he may not have had a alternative in that battle. Both battle Madrimov or no Canelo.
Crawford’s Reluctance: Cash or Concern?
“Boots is asking you. Boots is saying, ‘I need {that a}** whooping. Please give it to me. Let’s make it occur.’ Crawford has but to do something about it. He’s like, ‘Ah, nonchalant. I received greater fish to fry.’ I get it as a result of Crawford is on the finish of his profession, however that will be a rattling good battle,” mentioned Bradley.
It seems weak on Crawford’s half that he’s not accepting the problem from Boots as a result of it provides followers a transparent signal that he’s
- Afraid of Boots
- Simply in search of that Canelo gold
- Overrated from the bounce
“That will make extra sense than the Canelo battle. They really feel, he’s [Crawford] chasing cash. They really feel, ‘Ah, he’s simply chasing cash. He can’t [win,’” said Bradley.
Crawford’s decision to take the Boots fight makes a lot more sense than moving up two weight classes from 154 to 168 to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his titles without ever having fought in that weight class. That just looks like Crawford is moving up for the money, and he doesn’t think he can win.
Crawford’s “Worry”
“I’m not saying Boots can beat Crawford. What I’m saying is there’s some worry there. There’s definitely some worry on the Crawford side if they don’t want to face Boots. Everybody should be screaming, ‘Crawford, you’ve got business to handle,’” said Bradley.
Crawford is clearly worried about the threat that Boots poses to him because if there weren’t, he wouldn’t have taken off like a rocket once he captured the IBF 147-lb title from Spence and inherited the mandatory obligations to fight Ennis.
“I know Boots is at 147 pounds, but I’m sure Boots will go up to 154 to face Crawford. The money is there. Don’t nobody know this Madrimov guy. He just became world champion, but there are probably more people who know who Boots is,” said Bradley.
Boots Ennis is much better known in the U.S. than Israil Madrimov, but Crawford isn’t arguing that he’s not. He’s taking the fight because it’s one that His Excellency wants. It would get really interesting if Turki told Crawford to fight Boots Ennis to earn the Canelo fight; then you’d see how badly Crawford wants that Canelo payday.
“So, the money can definitely be there, and this is a guy that’s calling your name and saying, ‘Hey, I can whoop your a** and I know it. What are you going to do about it? Nothing?” said Bradley.
A fight between Boots Ennis and Crawford would be far bigger than Crawford-Madrimov in terms of PPV, but it’s one that Terence would have a greater chance of losing. Again, given that he’s got the Canelo fight in front of him, Crawford isn;t about to risk that payday by taking on Boots Ennis and getting exposed.
“He’s in a similar situation as Crawford. Nobody wanted to fight him,” said Bradley.
Nobody wants to fight Boots Ennis, and that’s still not changed, even though he’s with Matchroom now. It’s going to take a long time before the popular fighters want to face him. That could change if Boots defeats Crawford and adds his hide to his collection.
