Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes his fighter Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is the guy that will give Terence Crawford his first career defeat if WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov doesn’t do it first on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Hearn believes Madrimov and Boots Ennis have what it takes to beat the 36-year-old Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), who hasn’t been fighting on just an annual basis since 2020, and there’s no way of knowing how he’ll perform after another year out of the ring.
Crawford has been on a victory lap since his win over Errol Spence Jr., and he’s milked that win for a little too long. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh plans to have Crawford fight Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) on August 3rd.
Hearn thinks that Madrimov might be too big and powerful for Crawford, who hasn’t fought a big puncher like that in his long career. He has faced some powerful guys, like Errol Spence and Kell Brook, but they were past it and not anywhere near the fighters they’d once been when he fought them.
Crawford’s Days are Numbered
“I couldn’t give enough credit to Terence. One, I like the guy. He’s a dog when it comes to work, to hustle, to grind, and I think technically, he’s incredible,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fighthype about Terence Crawford.
“If someone is going to beat him, it’s going to be someone that is too big for him. Israil Madrimov or it’s got to be someone that can match him, and Boots [Ennis] can match him. Don’t get me wrong. I can’t sit here and tell you, ‘Boots beats him easy.’ No one beats Terence Crawford easy.”
It’s interesting to see Hearn try and backtrack on his comment about Boots Ennis being the one that can match Crawford, but he already said it. He believes that the 26-year-old Ennis is the one who can match Crawford or maybe more than match him.
Some boxing fans think Crawford has better power than Boots, but even if he does, it’s not a huge difference. Boots is a much younger fighter in his mid-20s, and he stays busy, training daily when he’s not fighting. His youth might be too much for Crawford, who seems to be doing the minimum with his career now with his one-fight per year part-time action.
“Eventually, we’re going to find someone to beat him. It might be Israil Madrimov. It might be Boots Ennis. Crawford is a pound-for-pound all-time great. I hope he gets all the big fights that he craves,” said Hearn.
Hean is letting Crawford know that his time at the top is limited, and if those matches happen, he could lose in his next two fights against Madrimov or Boots.
Hearn: The Real Matchmaker
“You just heard Turki Alalshikh say he wants to make Terence Crawford against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis or certainly the biggest fight that Jaron Ennis could have, and there was no talk about that fight until we signed him.”
Hearn is letting fans and the media know that he’s the reason why Boots Ennis is poised to get a massive fight against Crawford if he doesn’t get beaten by Madrimov first.
“Also, you look at the champions at 147, guys like Stanionis and Mario Barrios. They’re accessible. You’ve got to pay them, but they’re accessible. We’ve got a good plan for Boots, and I know we’ll deliver,” said Hearn.
