Eddie Hearn says he wants Terence Crawford to fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in his next bout now that he’s relieved Canelo Alvarez of his four super middleweight titles. Matchroom promoter Hearn states that Crawford is only going to want “big money” now, and he believes there are only “certain fights” that can “generate” the dough that he’s going to be expecting.
Hearn’s Proposal for Ennis
Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is one of the fights for Crawford to keep earning massive money without a huge pay cut.
Crawford may choose to take the fight against ‘Boots’ Ennis once Turki Alalshikh reveals the pay structure for different fights from 160 to 168. If Terence thinks he’s going to get massive money fighting the champions at middleweight, he could be disappointed.
For Crawford to become one of this era’s second Gilded Age super-rich requires much greater risk than what he dealt with against the faded Canelo Alvarez. That was an ideal situation for Crawford going up against a washed-up Alvarez. Now, to continue to get that kind of loot, Terence must fight these dangerous fighters:
- David Benavidez
- Jaron Ennis
- Dmitry Bivol
- Artur Beterbiev
Benavidez: The Missed Opportunity
Crawford already turned down a fight that Turki hinted at against David Benavidez, which was arguably his best chance to continue to make the kind of money that he got fighting Canelo. The Omaha, Nebraska, native, Crawford, shot himself in the foot by doing that.
“Terence Crawford is only going to want to fight for big money, and there are only certain fights that can generate that kind of money,” said Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV about Terence Crawford’s limited options for his next fight after his massive payday against Canelo Alvarez
“Crawford against Jaron Ennis, for me, is the best fight in American boxing. But it needs to be a payday to get him interested because Crawford knows how good ‘Boots’ is. He knows that is a real fight. But for me, ‘Boots’ is the new Crawford. We’ve just got to go out and get the fights to go out and show how great he is,” said Hearn.
There aren’t any big names holding belts at 160 where Crawford could fight them and create the same kind of demand there was for his superfight against Canelo last Saturday.
The $100 Million Question
If Crawford chooses to defend his four 168-lb belts, it’s the same situation unless Alvarez shows interest in fighting him. A title defense against Hamzah Sheeraz won’t bring Bud a gold mine of $100 million, which could be what he’s expecting now.
Calling himself the new “Face of Boxing,” Crawford makes it clear with that statement that he hopes to be paid top dollar for his fights, no matter who it is. Crawford can give himself fake titles, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be recognized as the new ‘Face of Boxing’ in terms of pay. To do that, he’s going to have to put his precious, carefully crafted legacy and unbeaten record at stake by fighting all the apex predators that Turki Alalshikh offers to him.
When he makes the offer, Crawfford must smile and do what he asks. I believe Crawford has become spoiled in the last two years with Turki pampering him by offering him mega-millions for his fights against Canelo and Israil Madrimov.
Now, it’s time for Crawford to earn the money the hard way by facing opposition that could ruin his record and send him into retirement with a knockout loss. The upside is huge for Terence, with him continuing to make the gold bullion by the truckload. It would be a good idea, though, for Crawford to show that he’s not spineless in his next fight by standing and fighting rather than running all night.
