Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is taking massive criticism on social media for his reluctance to move up to 154 to challenge himself against the best fighters in that weight class.
Boots Ennis is huge for the 147-lb division and should be fighting at 154 rather than melting down to fight at welterweight against smaller, weaker, no-name fighters.
Stunted Growth
Ennis’ popularity and career growth have been stunted by his failure to move up to 154 to take challenging fights.
In a way, this is revealing of his mindset. If he had any sense of self-belief, he’d quit the 147-lb division, move up to 154, and immediately start calling out Crawford. He hasn’t done that, showing he lacks the confidence to become a star. He doesn’t believe in himself.
People overwhelmingly view Boots as lacking ambition and the self-confidence needed to move up to 154 and challenge himself against the talented fighters in that weight class, such as Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The 27-year-old Ennis says he’s willing to fight anyone, but he won’t move up to 154 to show that he’s really about that. He’d rather play it safe at 147, staying in this talentless division, being a classic example of a weight bully.
Ennis says he wants to stay at 147 to become the undisputed champion. Still, the champions in that weight class are lackluster fighters without much talent or personality, which would make it worthwhile for him to stay in the division to accomplish his mission.
147-lb champions:
– Eimantas Stannionis: WBA
– Mario Barrios: WBC
– Brian Norman Jr: WBO
Fans on X criticize Boots (32-0, 29 KOs) for having an inflated resume filled with cab drivers and farmers and not taking the challenging fights to prove himself by moving up to 154. People see Boots as being afraid to move up in weight.
Upcoming Rematch
The Eddie Hearn-promoted Boots, 27, is expected to defend his IBF welterweight title in a rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian in December in Philadelphia. Ennis beat Chukhadzhian by an impressive twelve-round unanimous decision last year in January 2023.
A rematch is pointless, and it would be another fight where Boots fails to impress because Chukhadzhian is a runner. Ennis is not going to be able to catch up to him often enough to score a knockout and gain anything from a second fight.
𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 secured win number 32 one month ago ✅ @JaronEnnis pic.twitter.com/5LHJFsGQV1
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 13, 2024