Eddie Hearn says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will scratch his plans to unify the 147-lb division if the Terence Crawford combat is delivered subsequent by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.
Hearn’s Facetime with Alalshikh
The Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn spoke with Alalshikh by Facetime moments after ‘Boots’ Ennis’ systematic fifth-round destruction of substitute challenger David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) final Saturday evening on the Wells Fargo Middle in Philadelphia.
Hearn says His Excellency is considering making the Crawford vs. Boots Ennis combat subsequent if the Canelo Alvarez conflict doesn’t occur for Terence within the first quarter of 2025. That combat doesn’t appear probably, Hearn says, for 2 causes:
- Crawford will lose to Israil Madrimov on August third
- Famous person Canelo Alvarez isn’t considering preventing Crawford. It’s a no-win kind of combat for Alvarez, the place he gained’t obtain any credit score for beating the getting older fighter.
Monetary Incentive for Crawford
The cash might be there for Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) to combat Boots Ennis, however it’s one which he very probably will lose. Getting crushed by Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) would tarnish Crawford’s legacy, reinforcing the assumption that he was all the time overrated by followers for wins over B-level fighters within the three divisions he gained world titles.
In different phrases, Crawford is Adrien Broner 2.0, a fighter who captured world titles in a number of weight divisions however by no means fought any of the killers.
“His Excellency watched the combat, and he wished to have a fast phrase with Boots. He mentioned if there’s no Canelo combat, he needs to make Boots vs. Crawford. ‘Would we do it?’ The reply is, after all,” mentioned promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, speaking in regards to the Facetime dialogue he had with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh final Saturday evening following Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’s spherical stoppage win over David Avanesyan.
It’s a no brainer for Boots Ennis to combat Crawford subsequent as a result of it’s a a lot greater match for him than towards any of the little-known champions within the welterweight division. With Crawford getting older and preventing solely every year, Boots might not get the possibility to combat him till 2026 if it doesn’t occur in 2025.
Crawford needs the Canelo payday; if that combat occurs, it will likely be in early 2025. After that match, Terence will probably sit inactive for 1+ years earlier than rising in 2026 for a possible combat with Boots or, extra probably, a rematch with Canelo if His Excellency will give it to him.
“The plan is to unify at 147, however that combat [Crawford-Ennis] is likely one of the greatest fights within the sport, and it’s such combat. You see a man like Jaron Ennis, who has been out for a 12 months. He was actually disillusioned in his efficiency. I’m not being humorous. He was taking part in with him, and to play with a fighter like Avanesyan exhibits his capability,” Hearn mentioned about Boots.
