Terence Crawford gave welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis a mini-discussion on X, trying to cheer him up after his scare against IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
Crawford was essentially saying that life will be brutal and hard for Boots Ennis when he moves up to 154 to start facing killers in that weight class, as he said he wanted to do Saturday night in the post-fight press conference.
Ennis’ career could hit rock bottom when he commits to talented junior middleweight fighters. Unfortunately, it will not be the same beautiful situation that Boots had at 147, feast of non-punchers and fighters with mid-range boxing skills.
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 had expected.
Boots looked lost and confused
Ennis said repeatedly during interviews during the build-up to the fight, “I’m going to have fun,” and that he would knock out Chukhadzhian this time.
It turned out to be a near disaster for Boots as he was met with a more powerful, aggressive and talented version of Chukhadzhian this time who was different from the fighter he had fought last year on January 7th.
Ennis and his father/trainer, Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis, didn’t know what to do. Bozy sounded like a broken record in the corner, barking, “Just get him out of here,” but without giving any sound instruction. Bozy was no help to Boots, but there was really no advice he could give to help his situation.
Ennis was out of his league, fighting Chukhadzhian, who possessed technical skills he could not handle. Boots’ training during his career was too basic to match a fighter like Chukhadzhian.
Both were completely confused, as if they had their senses completely and did not know what to do. Ukrainian talent Chukhadzhian had Ennis’ game all over him, making him look like a rudimentary fighter all night, getting the crowd fired up and stealing the show.
Chukhadzhian seemed to have worked on his power game in training for the rematch, and he was a completely different animal this time around. Boots was not ready for this kind of power, aggression and talent from Chukhadzhian, who had schooled him from A to B all night.
Ennis won because Chukhadzhian lacked combination punching, held too much, and gave too little ground. In a trilogy match, you have to favor Chukhadzhian because he will get his game back and have all three areas fixed.
Crawford advises Boots to work on Craft
Former four-division world champion Crawford rallied behind the beleaguered Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) after his dreadful performance against Chukadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) at the Wells Fargo Center, saying: “Stay in your mission. Never be comfortable.”
Crawford found out how things would be very different for his career after moving up to 154 and just beating WBA champion Israil Madrimov by a 12-round unanimous decision on August 3rd. How a drowning man can save another?
Crawford has apparently lost all desire to chase the undisputed championship at 154 years after his life and death battle against Madrimov. Therefore, he is the last to give Ennis any kind of impotent advice other than to warn him about stepping into uncharted territory.
Ennis had called Crawford, wanting a fight against him, but after last night, no one was taking him seriously anymore. He can forget that fight forever after last night. Now, it’s more about Boots saving his career by deciding which direction to go.
Crawford did not advise on whether Ennis should stay at 147 or move up to 154 to take on the Sharks in that weight class. If you’re going to read between the lines, Crawford’s message suggests that Ennis should stay at 147 and continue to pad his resume on the modern fish at the bottom of the ocean instead of going up to 154.
@JaronEnnis I saw the fight, but I heard about it. Stay focused and keep working on your craft. Every night will not be the same. Never get comfortable in this game, if you are trying to reach the mecca of the sport. Stay on your mission because all it takes is 1 slip up
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) November 10, 2024
