Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis might be making a mistake if he chooses to vacate his IBF welterweight title to maneuver as much as 154 to broaden his horizons for larger fights.
Leaving the Welterweight Consolation Zone
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) will lose the dimensions, energy, and expertise benefit he’s been having fun with within the barren 147-lb division. He’s had a great factor going preventing at welterweight towards the smaller scrubs and has made first rate cash with out preventing anybody of high quality.
The perfect identify on the 27-year-old Boots Ennis’ resume is David Avanesyan, a profession fringe contender in severe decline at 35. Boots obtained hit quite a bit towards Avanesyan and didn’t look even barely spectacular in that struggle final July.
If Ennis strikes as much as 154, he’ll face guys with the ability to harm him, and his profession might rapidly collapse. For a fighter as straightforward to hit as Boots, he would possibly collapse when he faces these killers:
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Israil Madrimov
– Charles Conwell
– Jesus Ramos
– Xander Zayas
– Terence Crawford
– Errol Spence Jr.
– Tim Tszyu
– Erickson Lubin
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
Ennis’ new promoter, Eddie Hearn, failed to barter a struggle with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr this week. The negotiations fell aside over a mere $500K, which shouldn’t have been an enormous hurdle to beat if there have been a want by Hearn and Boots to make that struggle occur.
Additionally this week, Hearn misplaced the purse bid for Boots’ obligatory protection of his IBF belt towards Karen Chukhadzhian. This was much more worrisome as a result of if Boots meant to maintain his IBF title, he’d now lose out on preventing in entrance of a sold-out Wells Fargo Heart in Philadelphia and can be preventing in Europe someplace, probably Germany.
Even when Hearn was unwilling to open his pocketbook to put money into his fighter, Boots, he ought to have been prepared to pay out of his personal pocket to make one of many fights occur. Shockingly, Boots and Hearn let the Norman Jr. struggle slip via their fingers over a paltry $500K. You surprise if they are going to remorse this if Boots winds up transferring to 154 and getting crushed proper off the bat by Madrimov or one of many different large punchers.
“It’s a really robust weight class. It’s very deep, and there are lots of gifted guys. He’s going to be giving up measurement. That’s one in every of his benefits at 147,” mentioned boxing pundit Chris Algieri to the Probox TV YouTube channel, speaking about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis probably transferring as much as 154.
A Potential Profession Setback
Ennis is loopy to maneuver as much as 154 reasonably than staying at welterweight as a result of he’ll be gifting away all the benefits that he’s loved at 147. If his protection and expertise have been higher, it wouldn’t be an issue for him to go as much as junior middleweight to tackle the killers in that division. Sadly, Boots’ protection is nonexistent, and he doesn’t pack sufficient energy to glide via the opposition at 154.
“He’s enormous at 147. He’s one of many greatest welterweights I’ve seen,” mentioned Algieri. “On high of that, he’s so athletic. He [Ennis] will get hit. We noticed that in his final struggle [David Avanesyan]. We noticed that in lots of his fights. He’s prepared to get hit with these guys as a result of they’re smaller than him. These 154-pounders, I don’t suppose that’s a good suggestion.
“He’s going to have to regulate his type. He’s not going to have the ability to be so offensive-minded with the 154-pounders, the blokes which are gifted, the blokes which are larger, and the blokes that may punch. So, if he doesn’t have that measurement benefit like he has at 147, he’s going to should make changes to his type,” mentioned Algieri.
It’s fairly potential that Boots Ennis will lose in his first struggle at 154 if the rumors are true that he might be preventing former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in his first struggle in that division. We noticed what Madrimov did to Terence Crawford final August, coming near beating him, and hitting all evening with proper fingers.
Since that struggle, Crawford has modified his thoughts about making an attempt to develop into an undisputed champion, and you’ll solely conclude that Madrimov destroyed his ambition with the correct fingers he was hitting him with at will. If Madrimov may try this to Crawford, simply think about what he’ll do to Ennis.
“It’s robust. 154 goes to be a really robust weight class for him to leap into as a result of it’s proper into the deep waters. All people in that weight class is nice. There are such a lot of names. I agree going to 154 is the place the cash is at,” mentioned Algieri.
154 is a division for superior fighters with expertise, and Ennis is just too flawed to maneuver up there with out coming aside rapidly below hearth. Hearn has sufficient fighters to the place it received’t be the top of the world for him, however Ennis might be in unhealthy form if his profession sinks on this weight class. He’d have problem returning to 147 after settling in at 154. Even when he does return, there’s no telling whether or not he might be the fighter he was earlier than he was labored over at 154.
