By Adam Baskin: Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he might move up to 154 to rip the four titles away from undisputed champion Jermell Charlo if he’s forced to wait too long to get his chance against the 147-lb champions Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence Jr and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.
The 25-year-old undefeated, highly-ranked welterweight contender Boots Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs) isn’t going to wait until he’s old & gray for him to finally get his shot at lollygagging Spence & Crawford.
If they’re just going to twiddle their thumbs aimlessly, doing nothing with their careers, Boots will move up to 154 and dethrone the vulnerable champion Jermell Charlo, who is physically breaking down at this stage of his career, showing signs of age.
Jermell has a broken left hand that he’ll be nursing until mid-summer, and after that, he’ll be fighting his WBO mandatory Tim Tszyu. But after that, Jermell’s schedule is open, allowing Ennis to move up and beat him to become the new king of the 154-lb kingdom.
Since Spence & Crawford are freezing Boots Ennis out at 147, he should have already seen what time it is and moved up to 154. When you’re in a job and not getting promoted year after year, you realize there’s nothing for you in that company, so you move on rather than invest more time.
Ennis is dealing with that type of situation at 147. Hence, he needs to move up to 154 immediately rather than invest more time in waiting for fights that will likely never come about for him at welterweight.
“Whatever he brings, I’m going to adjust. I read stuff fast, pick up stuff fast, and break down guys fast. So it really doesn’t matter what he brings. I feel like he’s going to be on his bike,” said Jaron Ennis to the media on Tuesday about his January 7th opponent Karen Chukhadzhian.
“If he comes forward, that’s even better. My team tells me what to do, certain things to do, and we’ve got something for it. In 2023, I want at least three fights. I’m planning on fighting in January and squeezing out three fights.
“This fight coming up, and then Errol next or Bud next or Keith Thurman. Anybody, I don’t care. Vergil Ortiz, Stanionis, it don’t matter. Bring them on.
“I could go to 154 easily. We’ll see if they fight or whatever,” Boots Ennis said when what if he’ll go up to junior middleweight if Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford fight two or three times consecutively.
“Hopefully, they do fight and only fight once. That way, they don’t hold it up, but whatever way I go, I’ll be fight, no matter where it’s at. If I got to go to 154 and come back down to 147 to grab them belts, that’s cool too.
“Charlo is a great fighter. It’s definitely a good fight. Like I said, it doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. I’ll take them on. Anybody at 154 or 147,” said Ennis when asked if he’d go up to take the four titles from undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo, and then return to the 147-lb division to defeat the winner of the Spence vs. Crawford fight to become undisputed in a second weight class.
“I’m confident for that fight too,” Boots Ennis said about Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman. “I’m tired of talking about it.”