Former unified heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman feels that IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has some significant hurdles to overcome before he can fight Terence Crawford.
Right now, the risk-reward is too low for the three-belt welterweight champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) to see it as worth his effort to fight the 26-year-old Boots Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs).
It’s a lot of work and high risk for the 36-year-old Crawford, and the reward wouldn’t be big enough for him to face Boots because he’s not a household name yet.
Ennis Needs More Accolades
“What I do think about Terence [Crawford] is this. Let’s say that Jaron Ennis tears up the welterweight division,” said Hasim Rahman to Fighthype about the hurdles Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has for him to get a fight against Terence Crawford.
“If Ennis beats some people in the welterweight division, top guys unify and beat some tough guys where everybody feels like he’s the man,” Rahman continued about what Boots Ennis must do to get the Crawford fight.
Boots Ennis isn’t going to get the wins needed at welterweight because there is no one popular enough for him to face. Boots will likely need to move up to 154 and pick off these types of fighters to create public demand for Crawford to fight him:
- Tim Tszyu
- Erickson Lubin
- Errol Spence Jr
- Brian Mendoza
- Sebastian Fundora
It wouldn’t be a huge money fight, which is why Crawford is trying to get a fight against the Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez at 168 for his undisputed championship. Even if Crawford fails, the money would make it worth it.
However, Crawford lacks the credentials to fight Canelo because he’s not fought at 168 or even 160, for that matter, and he’s not exactly brimming with ambition to go up in weight and earn a shot the old-fashioned way.
Public Demand and Credibility
“Then he goes up to 154 and beats a top guy at 154. I definitely think Terence will fight him once he’s there and the public demands it. I think right now, the risk-reward isn’t there for Terence,” said Rahman.
“I don’t think he’ll get the credit he deserves. That’s why he’s looking at Canelo. He wants bigger challenges.
“Now, in the next year or two, Ennis catapults himself to that household name and that guy for money and credibility. I think Terence will fight him,” said Rahman.
