His Excellency Turki Alalshikh will reportedly try to organize a fight between Terence Crawford and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in 2024.
Fans have been eager to see the fight, but Crawford has been dragging his feet, not wanting to mix it up with the young phenom Boots Ennis.
Some people believe Crawford is flat-out scared of the threat that the 26-year-old Boots Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) poses to him, as he’s viewed as a younger, better version of the Nebraska native.
Boots can do everything that Crawford can do but with more ability and power. The switch-hitting, counter-punching gimmicky stuff that Crawford does that impresses the ultra-hardcore fans is simple for Ennis.
Why the Crawford-Boots Fight May Not Happen
- Crawford’s limited activity: Terence only fights on an annual basis, and he’s already set to challenge WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
- Potential loss or wear from Madrimov clash: Terence could either lose to Madrimov or take so much punishment in the fight that it would be impossible for him to return this year to fight Boots Ennis. Yeah, Crawford could probably drag him into the ring to fight Boots if His Excellency waves enough green stuff under his nose, but he’ll be a physical wreck from the Madrimov fight.
- Madrimov = Major Threat: Madrimov is a guy with power that Crawford has never seen before during his career. The biggest puncher Crawford has fought was the WIFI password puncher, ‘Mean Machine,’ and he had him down on the canvas and hurt, and that was four years ago. The last time I checked, Crawford hasn’t gotten any younger since then. He looks much older.
- Crawford’s decline: Coming off a grueling fight, win or lose, against Madrimov will leave Crawford as easy prey for Boots Ennis. Even if Crawford didn’t face the powerful Madrimov, he’d be up against it fighting Boots Ennis.
- The Spence Illusion: Casual fans have been fooled by Crawford’s win over Errol Spence, believing that he can walk on water and turn water into wine. I hate to break this to the fans, but Spence ain’t what he used to be since his car crash in 2019. He crashed his Ferrari at 100 mph, and he’s not even close to what he once was.
Madrimov is not chopped liver and will be a punishing fight for Crawford, who is turning 37 in September and isn’t a spring chicken. The combination of age, inactivity, and taking on the biggest puncher of his career will be a massive problem for Crawford.
Crawford will take shots against Madrimov that he has never experienced at the professional level, and it’s late in his career for him to be getting hit that hard against a young fighter with one-punch power.