Coach Greg Hackett says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is the best fight out there for Terence Crawford, competitive-wise. But he states that Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) isn’t looking at Ennis as a potential foe because he’s above him.
Fighting the 28-year-old Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs), who can do everything that Crawford can do, but is younger, would be a risky move for him.
The Mount Rushmore Myth
Turki Alalshikh is giving Crawford massive amounts of money in fights that he’s certain he’ll win going into them. That certainty wouldn’t be there for the 38-year-old Crawford if he fought ‘Boots’. He could lose.
Not only would that undermine Terence’s claims of deserving to be in the Mount Rushmore of boxing as one of the four all-time greats, but it could also cause him to get a dramatic pay cut for the few remaining fights he has in his career.
All-Time Great? Not Even Close
As it is, the Rushmore stuff that Crawford has been talking about is silly because he doesn’t have the resume to be among the all-time greats, not even at the bottom 10.
Beating Canelo Alvarez and Errol Spence Jr. isn’t good enough, especially for a fighter who only fights once a year. You must be active, in addition to possessing a strong resume, to make it to Mount Rushmore.
Boots Has the Tools
“When it comes to skillset, power, speed, athleticism, and reflexes, when you look around, ‘Boots’ is the closest thing to it,” said trainer Greg Hackett to MillCity Boxing about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis being the most competitive fight for Terence Crawford.
Ennis Built to Dethrone Crawford
Ennis has the physical tools, youth, and overall game to defeat Crawford to replace him on the pound-for-pound list. Boots’ promoter Eddie Hearn already recognizes that he’s ready to defeat Crawford to take his spot. That’s why he’s pushing so hard for that fight, and talking up a storm about Jaron knocking Crawford off his throne.
“Bud’s eyes were somewhere else. Ennis is looking up. Bud because he’s already above him ranking-wise, I’m not looking at you. He don’t want nobody to beat him,” said Hackett about Crawford’s coach Bernie Davis, who has been dismissive of ‘Boots’ Ennis as a potential opponent for Terence.
Hackett Sees Through the Excuses
Hackett can see through Bernie ‘The boxer’ Davis, and he understands what’s behind him not wanting Crawford to fight Ennis. He knows what will happen, and he wants to avoid that.
Chris Williams has covered boxing since 2010, bringing fans reliable analysis and insight from ringside to headline events.