Eddie Hearn has set a timeline of 12 months for Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to replace current #1 pound-for-pound Terence Crawford as the top fighter in the sport.
The 154-Lb Cleanup Plan
Hearn believes that by one year from now, Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) will have cleaned out the 154-lb division, beating these fighters to knock Crawford from the top spot:
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Sebastian Fundora
- Bakhram Murtazaliev
Hearn left out the WBA junior middleweight champion Abass Baraou and WBO beltholder Xander Zayas. It could be that he doesn’t view them as being at the same level of talent-wise as Fundora, Vergil Jr., and Bakhram.
Crawford’s Throne Under Fire
“I believe Jaron Ennis is pound-for-pound #1 in waiting. I’m talking about 12 months. I think he’s the guy to replace Terence Crawford,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to Ring Magazine.
Whether Ennis replaces Crawford as the #1 pound-for-pound will come down to Ring Magazine, as they’re the ones that do the voting. So, if Turki Alalshikh wants the aging 38-year-old Crawford to be kept at #1, he’ll stay there regardless of how well ‘Boots’ Ennis performs.
Crawford’s performance in his victory over Canelo Alvarez on September 13th wasn’t pound-for-pound #1 material. Ennis looked much better in his last fight against Eimastas Stanionis, scoring a sixth-round stoppage on April 12, 2025. If this isn’t about actual performances, Ennis may have to wait until Crawford retires before he takes the top spot in the pound-for-pound ratings.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Showdown
“That’s the best fight in boxing,” said Hearn about Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. “I think they [Team Ortiz Jr] think they can win. We know we’ll win. So, we’re in. If Vergil wants to be on his time, then there’s nothing we can do about it.”
It still remains to be seen if Golden Boy Promotions will make the fight between their fighter Vergil Jr and Ennis. They may choose to steer Ortiz Jr. away from ‘Boots’ if they have doubts about his ability to win. It’s understandable why they would.
Staying in the position he’s in now as the WBC interim champion, it’s only a matter of time before Vergil Jr. gets a fight against WBC champion Sebastian Fundora. That would be a big-money fight for Ortiz Jr.
“We’ll fight Murtazaliev or Fundora. After this Lima fight, anyone goes,” said Hearn about ‘Boots.’
Those are fights that Hearn may have a better chance of lining up for Ennis in 2016. If Ennis defeats those two champions, it’ll increase the possibility of him getting Golden Boy to allow Vergil Jr. to fight him because he would be the last man standing in terms of the talented champions.
