Sergio Mora says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis should fight former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in his debut at 154 in August or September. He believes that Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) can make a statement to the division if he defeats Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs).
(Credit: Matchroom)
Boots is moving up in weight from 147 because it has become too hard for him to make weight in the division. Mora wants Ennis to fight someone good, like Madrimov so that he can receive credit.
Why Madrimov for Ennis?
“I think he can send a big message to the entire junior middleweight division if he goes after Israel Madrimov, a guy that almost beat Vergil Ortiz Jr. It was 115-113 on two judges’ scorecards,” said Sergio Mora to Chris Mannix’s YouTube channel about who Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis should fight when he makes his debut at 154 in August or September.
Hearn’s Ennis Debut Plans
Fans, fighters, and the media will be impressed if Ennis beats Madrimov. However, to really send a message, Boots will need to beat the likes of Bakhram Murtazaliev, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Sebastian Fundora. There’s little chance that Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, will dare match him up against one of those fighters in his first fight in the 154-lb division. Hearn already said he wants to put Ennis in with a gatekeeper.
“He gave Crawford a handful where two judges had it 115-113. I think if he [Ennis] can move up and actually beat and even stop a fighter like Madrimov that has never been stopped before, he can send a message and all eyes will be on him,” said Mora.
Madrimov fought well enough to deserve a decision against Crawford, although it’s unlikely they would have given it to him. The plans were already in motion at the time for Crawford to fight Canelo when Israil fought him last August. So, there was no chance that Madrimov would win a decision and ruin those plans. The important thing is, he fought well enough to beat Crawford. If he can do that against him, he can beat Ennis, who isn’t as talented as Terence.
Madrimov’s Skills and Power
“It’ll be something difficult to do, but Madrimov has way better feet than most junior middleweights. And he has the experience, the Olympic background. He has the power. Now, it’s a must-win with back-to-back losses,” said Mora. “They were close losses, but still, he has back-to-back Ls on his record,” said Mora about Israil Madrimov. “I think Madrimov makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.”
Madrimov is better than most of the fighters at 154, but that’s what makes him a bad choice for Ennis to fight in his debut at 154. This isn’t going to be the stationary Eimantas Stanionis that Jaron will be fighting. Madrimov will use movement, and his technical skills are every bit as good as Boots’. He’s also a dangerous puncher, especially with the looping shots that he throws on top of his opponent’s head. That’s a punch that Gennadiy Golovkin used to score knockouts. Madrimov has learned to use the same punch to hurt his opponents.
“For a fighter like Boots, that’ll fight anyone anywhere. Not only that. There was a lot of talk about Boots one day fighting Bud. This is the closest you’re going to get by making a statement against a guy that Bud couldn’t really handle all that signifcantly,” said Mora.
Ennis won’t get much credit from fans if he knocks out Madrimov due to his 0-2 record in his last two fights. There’s nothing to gain from fighting him, and a lot to lose. Eddie Hearn has been predicting that Ennis will be a nightmare for anyone at 154 now that he won’t have to drain himself to make 147. But if Ennis looks poor against Madrimov, it’ll expose him as never being as good as he’d been built up to be.
The Risk of Fighting Madrimov
“If he can knock out Madrimov, he’ll send a message to everyone, including Bud,” said Mora. “Boots is moving up, and he’s going to have a hard time shining. It’s going to be very difficult for him to win a championship there and unify one day, too.”
Considering how much trouble Boots had in his rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian, he might lose to Madrimov. Ennis looked terrible in the second fight against Chukhadzhian, as he was outboxed again and even out-punched at times. Karen couldn’t miss with his potshots from the outside. If he could do that, Madrimov can do far more because he has power.
