By Elliot Raines: Andre Ward argues that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is starting to run out of time and needs to start fighting higher-level opponents like the winner of Saturday’s match between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Erickson Lubin.
Gym Wars, No Real Tests
Boxing podcaster Ward states that Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) will be 30 years old soon, and he’s been fighting strictly lower-level opponents without stepping it up against A-level opposition. He says Ennis has become a gym rat, and that involves him in many hard sparring sessions. Ward thinks that Ennis is overdoing it.
“Too much of anything is not a good thing. You can leave a lot of your best moments in the gym,” said Ward to All The Smoke about ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Andre says that the combination of sparring and lower-level opposition could give Ennis a “false sense” of his reality, making him believe he can eat punches from elite fighters. This habit could backfire on ‘Boots’ when he steps it up against elite-level, starting with the winner of the Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson fight if he faces one of the two next.
“If you spend too long at a certain level, you start to get a false sense of yourself,” said Ward. “He’s telling himself, ‘I can take a shot. I walk through that, why can’t I walk through this? I walk through this in sparring.’ Sparring is different than a fight.”
Elliot Raines Viewpoint
It’s unusual to hear Ward telling it like it is. ‘Boots’ Ennis has been spinning his wheels for too many years, going on a decade in the pro ranks, inflating his resume with victories over B and C-level opposition. He’s essentially stunted his career, preventing him from developing.
When one compares what fighters of the past, like Sugar Ray Leonard, had already accomplished by the time they were Ennis’ age, it shows how far he has lagged behind. The ambition hasn’t matched his talent level.
Having countless gym wars in Philadelphia does nothing for a fighter’s legacy. Your resume doesn’t grow from these, and it ages a fighter physically, absorbing punishment in these needless wars.
Running Out of Time
Andre says that without Ennis facing “real danger,” he’s not testing his true abilities, particularly on defense. He’s untested, and that’s not a good thing for a fighter his age after nine years in the pro ranks. If he does face Vergil Ortiz Jr. or Lubin next, he won’t be ready for this level due to his stunted career path.
“He’s 35 and 0 and he hasn’t fought an elite guy yet,” said Ward about Ennis. “You still got to deal with the fact that you haven’t had that type of danger that you need on the other side of the ring to turn your senses on at the highest level.”
Ennis is about to turn 29, and the clock is ticking on him. He hasn’t been developed thus far, and he’s wasting his potential by operating at a lower level. Again, the gym wars are taking something from Ennis without him getting anything in return.
“From a development standpoint, if you are going to be the king of any division… he’s 28 years old, he’s going to blink and be 30,” said Ward on Ennis.
Final Thoughts
If ‘Boots’ Ennis fails to fight the winner of Saturday’s Ortiz Jr. vs. Lubin match next, he puts his career at risk of becoming another example of a fighter who failed to live up to his potential.
It’s troubling that Ennis’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, hasn’t spoken of a plan B option for him. It’s far from a certainty that he’s going to land the victor of this fight. He’s already admitted that Golden Boy is ghosting him.
Ward is offering some valuable insights with his comments. He understands fighters have a short window to accomplish things in their career, and ‘Boots’ is about to have his shut permanently if he keeps wasting time with his gym wars. He’s focusing on the wrong things, trying to impress those around him in the gym. That’s superficial nonsense that does nothing.
Elliot Raines has covered British and European boxing since 2010. Known for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Raines dissects the sport’s politics, promoters, and paper champions with dry precision.
