By Chris Williams: Terence Crawford says he’s saving unbeaten welterweight contender Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs) for “later down the line” at some point in the distant future.
Word to the wise, when someone says to you, ‘We’ll get together later down the line one of these days,’ that’s code talk that it’s not going to happen.
Chris Williams can’t blame Crawford for not wanting any of that smoke with Boots Ennis because he would wreck him and send him to the shipyards to be decommissioned, dismantled, and recycled for parts.
What Crawford is saying with his “later down the line” talk is that Ennis needs to move on because he’s NOT going to fight him now or ever, for that matter.
With WBO welterweight champion Crawford (38-0,29 KOs) turning 35 years old on September 28th, he can’t afford to wait too long before fighting Boots Ennis if he has, has any intention of trying to win the fight.
Of course, by Crawford delaying the fight with Boots until he’s on the doorsteps of 40, he’ll have a built-in excuse to give boxing fans if he were to lose to him.
Crawford can always blame it on his age, and impressionable fans will swallow that excuse hook, line & sinker.
In reality, Crawford could fight the 24-year-old Boots Ennis right now, but he WON’T because there’s too much to lose if he deals with him in the way he smashed Custio Clayton and Sergey Linpinets, and Chris Van Heerden.
“Boots is a tremendous, talented guy. I’ve been watching him since his amateur days,” said Terence Crawford to Showtime.
“Me and him, later down the line, if that comes on my table and that’s the right fight for me, I’m taking it all. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” said Terence.
Nah, Crawford isn’t going to try and set up a fight with Boots Ennis “Later down the line” because he will be trying to save what’s left of his career after he loses to IBF/WBA/WBO welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr later this year.
After a defeat against Spence (28-0, 22 KOs), the LAST thing Crawford would need is to take on Spence and have his ship sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
We will see Crawford fleeing the 147-lb division, moving up to 154, and trying to salvage his career in that weak division, which only has a small handful of talented fighters.
The problem with that course of action for Crawford is that Spence will be moving up to 154 soon as well, and it’ll just be a rinse & repeat of what we’re going to see later this year.
Spence will beat Crawford again and expose him for lacking the ruggedness, work rate & power to deal with Spence. Errol is like one of those old ironclad Civil War ships, the U.S.S. Monitor. He’ll shell the more vulnerable wooden ship, Crawford, to pieces, no matter how many times they fight.
“Boots Ennis just needs to remain patient. What Boots Ennis is doing is keep knocking them down with the guys that they’re putting in the ring with,” said Tim Bradley to Tru School Sports about Jaron Ennis needing to stay patient before he gets a shot against Terence Crawford or Errol Spence.
“The big fight is being negotiated right now [between Crawford & Spence], and it’s going to take some time. Although I feel Boots is well overripe for an opportunity to fight for a world championship. He’s shown his talent and what he does inside the ring.
“If he just stays patient, trust me, Boots is going to be that guy at 147 pounds to take it over once these guys are out the door. Just be patient, Boots.
“Keep making your money, keep knocking these guys out, and when your time comes, you’re going to hold onto that strap for a very, very long time with the skills he has, no doubt.
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it,” said Bradley when told by the interviewer that he was awed by watching Boots Ennis spar, saying he was one of the best fighters he’d seen.
“It’s funny you say that because I heard through the grapevine that out of every fighter that Cameron Dunkin has ever come across, including myself, Cameron said he’s never had a better fighter than Boots Ennis.
“You’re talking about Corrales; you’re talking about myself; you’re talking about Donaire. He said he’s never had a guy more talented or a better fighter than Boots Ennis. So that says a lot about Boots.
“He’s definitely a special talent, and he has a great ring IQ. He’s big too, bro. The dude is 5’10”. Sugar Ray Leonard was 5’10.” He [Boots Ennis] has long arms with a 74-inch reach or something like that. He’s physically strong.
“I want him to continue to perfect his craft. Don’t get comfortable. I don’t think the guys that he’s around, the trainers, his father, they’ll get comfortable with the success that they’ve had so far.
“Continue to get better and better because once he hits that level, and I know he’s there now mentally. But physically, these guys at the top right now won’t have any chance when it all comes together.
“If they’re looking to stay in the game the next two years, ah, Boots Ennis, that boy will take them all out. Spence, Crawford, all of them. I don’t know about knocking them out, but he can compete with them, I’m telling you right now. This dude [Boots] is gathering so much momentum in the sport right now.
“He hasn’t gotten an opportunity. Do you know why he hasn’t gotten an opportunity? It’s because these guys aren’t willing to step up and face him. He’s a high liability because he’s not superly known yet.
“Once Spence and Crawford duke it out, and they move up afterward or whatnot, it’s great because guess what? Boots is that guy. He’s going to come up and take over the division,” said Bradley.
What Bradley isn’t saying is that after the smoke clears from the Spence vs. Crawford fight, both will immediately flee the 147-lb division and shoot up to 154 without bothering to face Boots Ennis and potentially get beaten.
