By Chris Williams: Jaron Ennis says the welterweight champions Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., and Yordenis Ugas aren’t on his level now. He feels he’s surpassed all three of them, and it’s going to get worse for them the longer they wait before giving him a title shot.
Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) is ranked #3 IBF, #5 WBA, #5 WBO, and #6 WBC and getting closer to a point where he’ll be the mandatory challenger for one of those champions.
With the danger the 24-year-old presents for Spence, Crawford, and Ugas, none of them will willingly fight him, and they’re going to wait and likely hope that he gets beaten along the way by somebody.
This Saturday, October 30th, Ennis will be taking on veteran Thomas Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) in a 10 round fight on the undercard of the Jamal James vs. Radzhab Butaev at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. SHOWTIME Boxing will be televisioning the card.
Dulorme, 31, has been around the block before, having fought guys like Crawford and many others. He should give Ennis a good test to show the boxing world how good he is.
ENNIS WANTS AIMING FOR UNDISPUTED
“You know everybody that’s coming out here is coming out to see me because I’m fan-friendly, and I bring skills and attributes behind everything,” said Jaron Ennis to Fighthype. “It’s going to be heavy on Saturday night.
“He’s a good fighter, but what else is he going to say?” said Ennis about Dulorme. “Everything I do is well-rounded, and he’s not well-rounded.
“Of course, he’s going to say experience, but he can’t even say that because I’m 24-years-old and I’ve been boxing for 24 years. I’ve been boxing all my life. I’ve been doing this.
“That’s what they’re banking on. On experience and I guess trying to survive and dirty stuff. That’s not going to work because I’m way smarter than them and way on point. I can’t wait. Y’all going to see something special.
“I want to be the first person to be the first four-division undisputed champion,” said Ennis. “That’s the goal for me, to go down in history as an all-time great and get all the best fights I can get. I want to fight the best guys and bring the old school era back,” said Ennis.
That would be incredible if Ennis became boxing’s first ever four-division undisputed champion.
While I think Ennis can move up all the way to super middleweight to become a four-division world champion, becoming an undisputed champion for all those divisions would be impossible.
If Ennis steamrolled over every champion he faces in each division, the promoters of these fighters aren’t going to allow their champs to fight him. It’s as simple as that. Ennis will be frozen out and avoided.
The only possible way for Ennis to become a four-division undisputed champion is if he had the popularity of a Canelo Alvarez or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
If Ennis were that popular, the other champions would readily agree to fight him because of the big paydays they’d get. That’s why it was possible for Canelo to win three titles at super middleweight.
The champions wanted to fight Canelo because of the big purses they received. In theory, Ennis could do the same thing if his popularity gets to the level of Mayweather or Canelo, but right now, he’s nowhere near that level.
JARON IS READY TO TAKE OVER
“You can’t say right now. You have to let the fight happen and see on fight night, but for me, I feel like I’m the best,” said Ennis when asked how he measures up to the welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, and Yordenis Ugas.
“I feel like none of those guys are on my level. I’m just different. I feel like I’m a whole different animal compared to those guys,” said Ennis in putting himself above Spence, Crawford, and Ugas.
“When you’re young and hungry, and you want something, and you love what you’re doing. I love boxing. It’s not about the money for me, and it’s hard to beat somebody like that. I’m here; I’m ready to take over,” said Ennis.
“It’s not frustrating. That’s on them,” said Ennis about the champions Spence, Crawford, and Ugas not fighting him. “They keep waiting until I get older to fight. I’m just going to get better and better each and every time.
“By the time we do fight, I’m going to be on point; I’m going to be super ready. I’m already now, but I’m going to be stronger, faster, smarter than I am right now.
“So that’s on them if they want to wait,” said Ennis in sending a message to the welterweight champions.
For Ennis to get a title shot against Crawford, Spence Jr., or Ugas, he’ll probably need to go the mandatory route, and he’s too good for any of those champions to pick him in a voluntary defense of their titles.
Before Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) started falling apart from his car crash and eye injury, he might have given a fighter like Ennis a voluntary title shot, but not anymore.
Crawford loves the accolades that he receives from fans and the media, but he’s not taking any real risks.
If Crawford were willing to fight dangerous guys, he would have already agreed to defend against Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr, and Shawn Porter a long time ago.
