“We were basically talking about my upcoming fights and this, that and the third,” Ennis said to YSM Sports Media. “We had a little back and forth, and we had a little back and forth off camera. That’s it.”
Despite Crawford’s retirement, a fight with Ennis continues to generate interest. Crawford never fought Boots during his championship run at welterweight, and the matchup disappeared once he began pursuing larger prizes in heavier divisions.
When asked if their meeting brought the fight any closer, Ennis left open the possibility of Crawford returning.
“Who knows? He might come out of retirement. Who knows?” Ennis said. “I’m going to clean up this division, and then, like I said, this is my game, man. I’m the best. I’m taking over the division one by one.”
Crawford has little reason to take the fight unless the financial offer is enormous. After defeating Canelo Alvarez, he collected generational money and completed the final major chapter of his career.
Facing Ennis would present considerable physical danger with limited commercial upside. Crawford would be returning against a younger, hungry puncher who does not possess Canelo’s drawing power. A win would be treated as another example of Crawford’s greatness, but a loss would damage the storybook ending he has already secured.
By walking away on top, Crawford joined Andre Ward and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Returning to help a younger champion become a mainstream star would mean risking his own position for someone else’s benefit. Retired greats rarely accept that arrangement without receiving enormous compensation.
The same high-risk, low-reward equation may help explain why the fight never happened at welterweight. Ennis was dangerous but had not developed into an opponent capable of delivering the payday Crawford could collect elsewhere. By the time Boots became a more recognizable champion, Crawford had left 147 pounds behind.
The retired champion has also identified flaws that he believes he could exploit. He noted that Xander Zayas landed clean punches on Ennis before Boots secured the stoppage, raising the question of what a more precise and experienced finisher would do with the same opportunities.
Boots can become reckless when his combinations begin flowing. His confidence in his reflexes encourages him to remain close after punching, giving opponents a chance to counter while his hands are returning to position. Zayas lacked the experience and finishing instincts to make those openings decisive.
Against Crawford, the threat would be far greater. He excels at reading reactions, changing positions, and punishing repeated mistakes. Both men can switch stances and attack with varied combinations, but Crawford has shown a greater ability to make adjustments against elite opposition. Boots often relies more heavily on his speed, athleticism and reflexes to control exchanges.
That contrast would make their meeting more than a contest between two switch hitters. Ennis would have to remain disciplined every second rather than assuming his physical gifts could erase defensive mistakes.
Any serious negotiation would also encounter a major weight obstacle. Crawford has said he will never return to 154 pounds after climbing to 168 for Canelo.
Boots is still trying to control junior middleweight. If Crawford remained firm, he would need to move to 160 or possibly higher before completing his work at 154. That would allow Crawford to dictate the terms while asking Ennis to prove himself at another new weight.
The original attraction of Crawford against Ennis was a welterweight fight between the established champion and his most dangerous young challenger. Moving it to middleweight years later would create another contest with a changed physical equation.
Keeping Crawford’s name attached to him still benefits Boots. Ennis has elite talent, but he has not crossed over into a major pay-per-view attraction who can generate enormous events without an established star across the ring.
Their continued discussion keeps Ennis in the spotlight while interest builds for more attainable fights against Josh Kelly and Vergil Ortiz Jr. Those are the opponents connected to his immediate future, while Crawford remains a fantasy option dependent on money that may never arrive.
Boots also entertained future moves to middleweight and super middleweight during the interview. He agreed that 168 pounds may eventually be possible, but junior middleweight contains enough danger to test those ambitions.
Sebastian Fundora, Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk are large, powerful fighters who can force Boots to prove that his punching power and chin carry into the division. Controlling 154 will be far more difficult than declaring it during an interview.
The only plausible mechanism for bringing Crawford out of retirement is a massive guarantee from Riyadh Season. Without a purse large enough to overwhelm normal market logic, Crawford can remain retired, knowing he already captured the money, championships, and historical recognition Ennis is still chasing.
