Kelly is that worthless to his career. He is a champion by designation, not an opponent fans believe can threaten Boots. Ennis is supposed to smash him, and anything less than a demolition would damage Boots more than winning helps him.
Terrence Crawford has zero incentive to audition for the role of aging gatekeeper when he can still chase eight-figure paydays against global attractions. The traditional torch-passing ritual only works when the older champion has run out of bigger money or gets backed into a corner by a mandatory order. Crawford is in neither position.
That is also why Crawford has no interest in cooperating. Kelly can surrender his belt and disappear from the conversation. Crawford would be surrendering his unbeaten record, his Mount Rushmore campaign, and possibly another giant purse from Turki Alalshikh.
Crawford has spent years securing his current standing. After dominating Errol Spence Jr. and grabbing belts in four divisions, his eyes sit entirely on massive legacy spectacles, like Canelo Alvarez, or whoever Turki Alalshikh backs with tens of millions of dollars. Beating Boots adds a nice win for hardcore boxing purists, but it does nothing to boost Crawford’s profile among casual fans. Losing to Boots instantly robs him of his perfect ledger and ruins his pursuit of history.
Fighters gladly play sacrificial lamb when the check is so absurd they cannot walk away, or when they are washed up and desperate for work. Crawford remains near the pinnacle of the sport with full control over his dates. Offering his head on a platter so Jaron Ennis can become a household name simply makes bad business sense from his corner.
Boots would likely make Crawford look every bit of his age. What Madrimov showed was that Crawford’s reflex-based defense gets leaky against awkward, springy athletes who refuse to respect his reputation. What the Canelo fight showed, despite Crawford nicking the decision, was an aging fighter who had to operate with extreme caution, relying on single shots, timing, and ring generalship rather than overwhelming opponents with offensive firepower.
Against Ennis, Crawford wouldn’t have the luxury of slow rounds or flat-footed opponents. Boots doesn’t plod forward looking to land one counter hook like Madrimov did, nor does he gas out after six rounds. Boots brings speed, switches stances without missing a beat, and throws combinations in clusters from strange angles.
Boots wouldn’t blow him out of the water in two rounds because Crawford’s ring IQ remains too high for early mistakes. Crawford would survive the early frames by tucking in his chin and trying to time the counter right hook. The problem arrives in the second half.
Ennis would force an unbearable pace. Crawford’s legs can no longer bounce and pivot for twelve rounds under sustained fire.
Once Boots realized Crawford lacked the one-punch pop at this stage to deter him, he would walk Crawford down, trap him along the ropes, and batter him with hooks to the ribs and uppercuts through the guard.
It ends up looking less like an instant knockout and more like a systematic changing of the guard. Ennis outworks him, out-punches him, and leaves Crawford looking beaten up, exhausted, and clinging to survive the final bell.
