Eddie Hearn is continuing to ratchet up pressure on Terence Crawford to fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis next, labeling it as “The changing of the guard” type fight. It’s like a young lion taking over the pride from an older lion.
Hearn says Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) can face Crawford next after his clash against Uisma Lima on October 11. The fight with Bud can take place at 154 or 160. Crawford already mentioned that he’s interested in moving down to 160. So, it would be perfect for Ennis to meet him in that weight class if he’s interested.
Rattling Crawford’s Cage
“Jaron Ennis against Terence Crawford is the fight. And that could be at 154, and it can be at 160. Obviously, we’ve got [Uisma] Lima to take care of first,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about his hopes of making a fight between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Terence Crawford.
Hearn is going to have to keep the pressure campaign going for a lot longer if he wants to try and force Crawford to fight what he calls “The next Crawford” with his fighter, Boots Ennis. The older fighters are expected to fight the young lions so they can be used to help build a new star. Crawford has shown no interest in helping to build the next star.
It’s a fight that Crawford would likely lose, but the pay would be good. It wouldn’t be as good as the $50 million he received for the Canelo Alvarez fight. But there aren’t any other fights out there for Crawford to net him that kind of dough, especially if he chooses to take a year off for his victory lap. That’s likely what Bud will hold out for.
The Pursuit of Another Payday
Just sit and wait for Turki Alalshikh to offer him an enormous payday against a fighter he knows 100% he can beat. Ennis isn’t that kind of fighter. The victory wouldn’t be assured, and it was doubtful that Turki would pay Crawford the type of money he just received. The fight would be a lot more entertaining to watch, as Ennis would be all over Crawford, forcing the older fighter to fight whether he wants to or not.
“That, for me, is one of the great crossover fights, because ‘Boots’ is the changing of the guard guy, and Crawford’s the guy that has been there and done it all. He just proved that he’s still very much in his prime,” said Hearn.
Crawford’s Hesitation to Fight
It would be a good fight, but it’s not likely to happen. Crawford is obviously going to hold out, hoping that Canelo Alvarez will bless him for another fight to get a second big payday similar to the one he received last Saturday night for their legacy fight. Other than Canelo, there’s a possibility of Crawford going down to 160 to go after one of the three champions.
Bud reportedly had success sparring with Carlos Adames many years ago when he was still fighting at 140. Adames holds the WBC middleweight title. So, he would be a likely target for Crawford. The other two middleweight champions are IBF and WBO belt holder Janibek Alimkhnuly and WBA champ Erislandy Lara.
Protecting the Perfect Record
Ultimately, Turki Alalshikh will have a lot of say in who Crawford will fight next. However, it’ll have to be someone that he feels confident of beating, because he already refused to fight David Benavidez after Turki enquired if ‘The Mexican Monster’ can still make 168.
You’d have to assume that ‘Boots’ Ennis is among the third-rail untouchable class that Crawford will not fight, no matter how much money is offered to him. Protecting that ‘O’ is hard work.
Last Updated on 09/18/2025