Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis reacted to Ryan Garcia’s comment about wanting to fight him by saying, “He’s food” on social media.
Kingry wants to keep the momentum going with his career after his big win over Devin Haney, and he sees IBF welterweight champion Boots Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) as a way to do that. If the Saudis get involved, that would make it even better for Ryan.
Garcia Targets Ennis and Benn
I don’t think it would be a fair fight. Boots Ennis is a better fighter than Ryan, and he’s been competing at 147 his entire professional career. Ryan needs to move up to welterweight and get some experience in the weight class before he fights Boots Ennis.
Ryan (25-1, 20 KOs) mentioned Boots and Conor Benn as two potential next fights for him last night after his 12-round majority decision win against Devin Haney in New York.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) is on the upper spectrum of fighters that Garcia is targeting, and it could be a mistake for him to take this fight next.
Although Ryan looked good beating previously undefeated WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-1, 15 KOs), he showed stamina problems, and was only capable of fighting hard for brief spurts.
Garcia would need better conditioning against Boots. Ennis would force a fast pace, making Ryan fight hard for three minutes of each round and hitting him with shots that he hadn’t experienced at the pro level, even in his match against Gervonta Davis. Boots punches harder than WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Tank.
Alternative Paths for Ryan
Ryan’s dad, Henry, and his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions may decide to move him toward a rematch with Haney or Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. Those fights will pay well.
Negotiating a fight with Tank could be problematic if the PBC-managed fighter insists on weight stipulations and a larger share of the purse, like in their match last year. Ryan isn’t going for a catchweight, rehydration limit, or a smaller cut now that he’s on top of the sport with his win over Haney.
Tank Davis will probably wreck any hopes for a rematch by playing the A-side card with Ryan again, and be left empty-handed. The easier fight for Ryan to make would be a rematch with Haney or a clash against Conor Benn.
Those are winnable ones for Ryan, and it won’t be near the same nightmare to negotiate as trying to set up a rematch with Tank Davis.