Terence Crawford gave welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis a little X talk, trying to cheer him up after his scare against IBF contender Karen Chukhadzhian last Saturday night in Philadelphia.
Crawford meant it life will be brutal and difficult to Boots Ennis when he moves up to 154 to start facing the killers in that weight class, as he said he wanted to do last Saturday night at the post-fight press conference.
Ennis’ career could take a nosedive when he faces talented fighters in the junior middleweight division. Unfortunately, it won’t be the same good situation that Boots had at 147, which feasts on boxers and boxers of average boxing ability.
IBF welterweight champion Ennis defeated Chukhadzhian by a 12-round unanimous decision in their rematch, but the fight was more than he or his fans expected.
The Boots Look Lost and Confused
Ennis said several times during interviews during the fight, “I’m going to have fun,” and that he would be taking out Chukhadzhian this time.
It turned out to be a disaster for Boots, as he was met with a much stronger, more aggressive, and skilled version of Chukhadzhian this time that was different from the fighter he beat last year on January 7th.
Ennis and his father/coach, Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis, didn’t know what to do. Bozy sounded like a broken record in the corner, barking, “Just get him out of there,” but without giving sound instructions. Bozy was no help to Brother, but there wasn’t really any advice he could give him to help his situation.
Ennis was not on his team, fighting against Chukhadzhian, who had technical skills that he could not cope with. Boot training during his career was very basic to match a gifted fighter like Chukhadzhian.
Both of them were completely confused, as if they were completely numb and didn’t know what to do. Ukrainian talent, Chukhadzhian, made Ennis’ match all available, making him look like a no-nonsense hero all night, moving the crowd and stealing the show.
Chukhadzhian appeared to have worked on his power game in the rematch, and he was a completely different animal this time around. The boots were not ready for this kind of power, aggression, and talent from Chukhadzhian, who had taught him from A to B all night.
Ennis was successful because Chukhadzhian had no compact punch, held too much, and gave up too little space. In the trilogy game, you will have to love Chukhadzhian because he would recycle his game and all three areas are repaired.
Crawford Advises Boots to Work Creatively
Former four-division world champion Crawford fought the undefeated Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) after his rough performance against Chukadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) at the Wells Fargo Center, telling him, “Stay on the machine yours. Don’t get too comfortable.”
Crawford found out how different things would be in his career after moving up to 154 and even beating WBA champion Israel Madrimov via a 12-round unanimous decision on August 3. How can a drowning person save another?
Crawford appeared to have lost his desire to pursue the undisputed championship at 154 after his life-and-death fight against Madrimov. So, he’s the last one to give Ennis any kind of unhelpful advice other than to warn him about stepping into an uncharted territory.
Ennis kept calling out Crawford, wanting to fight him, but after last night, no one would take him seriously. He can forget about that fight forever after last night. Now, it’s about Boot saving his career by deciding which way to go.
Crawford did not advise whether Ennis should stay at 147 or move up to 154 to take on the Sharks in that weight class. If you were to read between the lines, Crawford’s message suggests that Ennis should stay at 147 and continue flipping his resume to mudfish at the bottom of the ocean rather than going up to 154.
@JaronEnnis I actually saw the war, but I heard about it. Stay focused and keep working on your craft. Every night will not be the same. Never get complacent in this sport, if you are trying to go to the mecca of sports. Stay on your mission because all it takes is 1 slide
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) November 10, 2024
