After Ennis unified two world titles, the biggest fight left may be persuading retired Terence Crawford to return for one last defining showdown
Jaron “Boots” Ennis has given Eddie Hearn the American boxing star he spent years searching for. Now comes the harder task: convincing retired Terence Crawford to return for the one fight that could turn Ennis into one of the sport’s biggest attractions.
Ennis’ dominant performance generated immediate discussion about what comes next. Unification fights against Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr., or Josh Kelly would all be significant events at 154 pounds, but one name towers above the rest when it comes to elevating Ennis into boxing’s biggest attractions: retired former undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
Hearn has finally built a genuine attraction on American soil, but the job is only half done. To turn Ennis into a bona fide superstar, he needs a signature victory over one of boxing’s modern greats, and there is no bigger name available than Crawford.
The challenge is convincing Crawford to come back.
The 38-year-old retired earlier this year after defeating Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion, ending a career that also included a competitive victory over Israil Madrimov. With little left to prove and financial security already in place, Crawford has given no indication that he intends to return.
If Hearn wants the one victory that could transform Ennis into a crossover star overnight, Crawford is the obvious target.
A win over the unbeaten former five-division champion would launch Ennis into another tier, but that is also what makes the fight such a difficult one to make. Ennis represents a very different challenge from the opponents Crawford faced during the closing stage of his career. At 38, he would be facing a fighter in his athletic prime who combines elite speed, punching power, and relentless pressure over 12 rounds.
Hearn has the attraction, but persuading Crawford to risk his unbeaten legacy against boxing’s fastest-rising young champion may prove to be the toughest fight he ever tries to make. Until that hurdle is cleared, Ennis’ biggest opportunity to become the sport’s next mainstream superstar remains just out of reach.