Terence Crawford gave welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis a mini pep talk on X, to cheer him up after his scare against IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian last Saturday night in Philadelphia.
Crawford essentially said it life will be cruel and hard for Boots Ennis when he moves up to 154 to start taking on the killers in that weight class, as he mentioned he wanted to do at the post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
Ennis’ career could hit a nadir when he faces talented fighters at junior middleweight. Unfortunately, it won’t be the same nice situation Boots had at 147, feasting on non-punchers and fighters with middleweight 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 expected.
Boots looked lost and confused
Ennis repeatedly said in 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 this time it came up against a more powerful, aggressive and talented version of Chukhadzhian who was different from the fighter he beat on January 7th last year.
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 there,” but without giving any good instructions. Bozy was no help to Boots, but there was really no advice he could give him to help his situation.
Ennis was out of his league, fighting Chukhadzhian, who possessed technical skills he could not handle. Boots’ training throughout his career was too basic to suit a fighter as gifted as Chukhadzhian.
Both were completely confused, as if they were completely out of their senses and didn’t know what to do. Ukrainian talent Chukhadzhian figured out Ennis’ game, making him look like a rudimentary fighter all night, taking the crowd away and stealing the show.
Chukhadzhian seemed to work on his power game during practice 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 schooled him from A to B all night.
Ennis won because Chukhadzhian lacked combination punching, holding too much and giving too little ground. In a trilogy match you will have to favor Chukhadzhian because he would rework his game and have all three areas fixed.
Crawford recommends boots for working on crafts
Former four-division world champion Crawford rallied behind the beleaguered Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) after his horrific performance against Chukadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) at the Wells Fargo Center and told him, “Stay on your mission . Never get comfortable.”
Crawford found out how things would be very different for his career after moving up to 154 and narrowly beating WBA champion Israil Madrimov via a 12-round unanimous decision on August 3rd. How can one drowning man save another?
Crawford seemed to have lost all desire to chase the undisputed championship at 154 after his life-and-death fight against Madrimov. So, he’s the last one to give Ennis any helpless advice, other than to warn him to move up into unknown territory.
Ennis called out Crawford for wanting a fight with him, but after last night no one would take him seriously anymore. He can forget about that fight forever after last night. Now it’s more about Boots saving his career by deciding which direction to go.
Crawford did not recommend whether Ennis should stay at 147 or move up to 154 to face 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 to fill his resume on the mudfish at the bottom of the ocean rather than go up to 154.
@JaronEnnis I did see the fight, but I heard about it. Stay focused and keep working on your craft. Every night is not going to be the same. Never get comfortable in this game as you try to get to the mecca of the sport. Stay on your mission because all it takes is 1 slip
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) November 10, 2024
