Terence Crawford pressed Jaron Ennis directly about his “easy work” jab, turning their face-to-face meeting into a debate over resumes, real hunger, plus who actually seeks out the toughest threats.
Ennis stood firm. In his view, every top-tier fighter has to believe he can beat anyone across the ring.
“For sure. Anybody that y’all ask me, if somebody gives y’all a list and y’all ask me who I think is easy work, I’m going to say easy work every single time because I believe in myself,” Ennis told TNT Sports. “Can’t nobody in this game do what I do. I feel like I’m the best.”
Nobody expected him to back down. Admitting Crawford could beat him while standing right next to the man was never going to happen. Crawford just wanted to see if Ennis truly believed what he was saying.
Crawford Wants More Than Josh Kelly
Crawford questioned the punishment Ennis took in recent outings, insisting he would have gone in for the finish instead of letting Boots off the hook. Ennis fired right back, telling Crawford he would have done the exact same thing to him.
The talk soon shifted toward Vergil Ortiz Jr. alongside Sebastian Fundora. From Crawford’s perspective, getting past Josh Kelly will not bring Ennis the respect that handling either of those top junior middleweights would produce.
“We would have seen it if you would have fought Vergil,” Crawford pointed out.
Ennis maintained that he fires right back whenever opponents catch him. Crawford acknowledged that grit, yet he still wants to see that fire tested against an elite pressure monster, or a towering champion who drowns rivals in sheer punch volume.
“If you step on Fundora, I give you props,” Crawford said. “If you step on somebody like Vergil, I give you props.”
Naturally, critics might say Boots opted for Kelly instead of taking on the fiercest talent at 154 pounds. Jumping to conclusions ignores the business side. Ortiz works with Golden Boy, Fundora features on PBC cards, while Ennis answers to different promoters. Those corporate barriers easily kill fights without either boxer dodging. Still, Crawford made a valid point. Ennis cannot establish himself as the next face of the sport solely by blowing out fringe contenders.
Ortiz would pose a genuine test for Boots defensively. In Ennis’s eyes, Ortiz brings the ideal style for him. Fluid switch hitting, blistering combinations, sharp counters, all of it looks tailored to pick apart a relentless stalker.
Crawford conceded the matchup looks good on paper, but warned that spotting openings differs greatly from enduring heat long enough to capitalize. Ortiz never just hunts one big shot. He digs to the ribs, smothers space, making opponents fight during moments they want a breather. Boots sometimes retreats straight back, trusting pure reflexes to slip danger. Against Ortiz, backing into the ropes gives away real estate, making brutal body shots impossible to avoid.
Climbing to 154 pounds brings extra danger. Ennis took clean punches from Karen Chukhadzhian, Avanesyan too, without buckling at welterweight. Natural junior middleweights pack extra muscle into every exchange. Boots might own the superior toolkit, yet Crawford wants proof those skills survive several grueling rounds against a bigger puncher.
Crawford also brought up David Avanesyan to downplay Kelly. Avanesyan stopped Kelly inside six rounds back in 2021. Crawford followed up by stopping Avanesyan in round six a year later. Ennis then made Avanesyan quit after five rounds in 2024.
“Kelly already got knocked out by a person that you knocked out,” Crawford remarked, momentarily fishing for Avanesyan’s name.
Boxing math rarely proves anything. Kelly falling to Avanesyan years ago hardly guarantees defeat against everyone who stopped the Russian afterward. Timing shifts, fight camps vary, fighters evolve.
Besides, Boots can flip the script here. Crawford cannot easily separate his own resume by mentioning Avanesyan since both men stopped him. Ennis actually forced the stoppage a round faster, even if Crawford scored the cleaner highlight-reel finish.
“You know what I would’ve done to you if you would’ve got hurt in that last fight?” Crawford meant he would have closed the show immediately, though Ennis insisted Crawford would suffer the same fate. Crawford ultimately struck a warmer tone, mentioning that he wants Boots to thrive across 154, 160, even 168 pounds. Plenty of mutual respect surfaced, though Crawford made sure to protect his own spot at the top.