Many in the sport would like to see Terence Crawford return to the ring to face Jaron Ennis, particularly following the latter’s statement victory over Xander Zayas this weekend in Brooklyn.
Ennis and Zayas thrilled fans at the Barclays Center on Saturday night, a clash ultimately defined by Ennis’ superior skill. Outside of a tense spell in the third round, ‘Boots’ largely dominated, scoring three knockdowns on his way to a 32nd knockout victory.
The seventh-round stoppage made Ennis a unified champion at super-welterweight, having already achieved the same feat at welterweight. Given that Crawford also held titles in both divisions, and the pair were once tentatively linked to a showdown at 147lbs, debate over a fight has inevitably resurfaced.
Speaking on The Porter Way podcast, Crawford rejected the idea that returning to face Ennis would add anything to his legacy.
“Listen, like I said, man, of course everybody knows the competitive nature in me. But I don’t worry about coming back to prove anything, because me coming back and proving something to people… It never matters. [If I beat Ennis], they would say, ‘Oh, he only fought Xander.’ They’d come up with some type of excuse.”
The five-division world champion then praised Ennis, while making it clear he still believes he would come out on top.
“To credit Boots, he’s a tremendous talent. He’s no walk in the park for no one. He’s a threat to anyone that he steps in the ring with – tremendous speed, great power, reflexes, defence, all that. The only thing that I can say is I’m ten steps ahead of him in smarts … I can see the holes in his game… The shots that Xander was hitting him with, and the shots that Xander couldn’t capitalise on, I would be able to capitalise on. And, when I capitalise, everybody knows I’m probably one of the best counterpunchers there ever was.”
Finally, Crawford put an end to any talk of a comeback – an idea floated by Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn during fight week – insisting he has no intention of competing again.
“Never. I’m happily retired. It’s Boots’ era. I pray and hope he take it to the extreme. Nothing but success for him and his family… People want to see this generation, how would they do with the previous generation, the same way people compare me to Floyd. We’ll never fight. I wish him nothing but the best, I want to see him succeed.”
Ennis will now continue his pursuit of undisputed status at super-welterweight, making no secret of his desire to face the division’s other champions, Sebastian Fundora and Josh Kelly.
