Crawford Spies Flaws in Boots
While Bud threw some praise toward Ennis, calling him a “tremendous talent” and a “threat to anyone,” he quickly shifted to why he believes he remains the superior fighter. Crawford pointed directly to the openings Zayas failed to exploit during Saturday’s fight, claiming he would have turned those moments into a short night for Ennis.
“I can see the holes in his game, and I can see the openings and opportunities that I’ll have because A, I feel like I punch harder than Xander. B, I’m way sharper than Xander. C, I’m way faster than Xander.”
“When I capitalize, everybody knows I’m probably one of the best counter punchers there ever was.”
It sounds like a man itching for a fight, but Crawford insists that is not the case.
When you look at Crawford’s comments, it is the classic case of a retired fighter who is physically out of the ring but mentally still right in the center of it. He wants the peace of retirement, but his pride will not let him ignore the narrative that a younger, fresher killer like Boots Ennis might have had his number.
Crawford, pointing to the holes Zayas couldn’t exploit, is pure film-study brilliance, and he is right. He is one of the sharpest counter-punchers we’ve ever seen. But breaking down film from the couch is a lot easier than dealing with a relentless, naturally bigger powerhouse like Boots pushing a high pace for 12 rounds, especially at this stage of Crawford’s career. Those grueling fights against Madrimov and Canelo showed that the armor was thinning just a bit.
It is the ultimate fantasy fight that leaves everyone frustrated because Crawford gets to remain undefeated in his own mind, Boots keeps collecting belts, and the fans are left arguing over who would actually win.
For the vast majority of Crawford’s career, he was a boxing purist’s dream but a promotional nightmare. He spent years tucked away on networks, building an incredible record, yet struggling to cross over into mainstream pay-per-view stardom. He didn’t truly get that massive, casual fan recognition until the very tail end of his run when he finally got the big names in the ring. Then, after surviving tough nights with Madrimov and a faded Canelo Alvarez, he took his bows and exited.
Then walks in Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
Boots represents everything that probably keeps an old-school technician like Crawford up at night. Ennis didn’t spend a decade navigating the promotional wilderness to get noticed; his fighting style did the talking instantly. Boots takes risks. He stands in the pocket, he lets his hands fly, and he looks for spectacular, crowd-pleasing knockouts. That fan-friendly thrill ride has catapulted Ennis into superstar status at light speed compared to Crawford’s slow, agonizing burn to the top.
When Crawford looks at Boots unifying the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles by stopping Xander Zayas, he isn’t just looking at a young champion. He’s looking at a guy who is capturing the hearts of the fans with a fraction of the time and effort it took him.
That social media chatter—the fans saying Crawford retired to avoid the passing of the torch—is clearly scratching at his ego. Crawford wants to be remembered as the flawless master who conquered the sport, but the fast-moving boxing world is already infatuated with the new king. Crawford coming out to loudly proclaim he is “10 steps ahead” is the ultimate defensive reaction from a legend who realizes his shadow is fading a lot faster than he expected.
“I’m retired. I’m happily retired,” he said. “It’s Boots’ era. I wish him nothing but the best.”
The Narrative That Irks Bud
Despite his claims of total contentment outside the ring, Crawford admitted that the fan chatter surrounding a potential matchup with Ennis gets under his skin.
“When you say, ‘Oh, he would knock Terence Crawford out,’ or ‘Terence Crawford ducked him,’ or ‘Terence Crawford retired because of him,’ it pisses me off sometimes. But at the same time, it’s just the game.”
Crawford walked away from the sport at the absolute peak of the mountain, retiring as the undisputed super middleweight champion after a historic victory over Canelo Alvarez. Yet, a vocal segment of the boxing world still feels he left money and a legacy-defining challenge on the table by avoiding Ennis.
Critics will point to Crawford’s grueling, close victories over Israil Madrimov and Canelo as proof that the 38-year-old was slowing down from his destructive welterweight days. To those fans, a peak, naturally larger Boots Ennis would have been a bridge too far for the aging legend.
Crawford is never going to agree with that narrative. He remains convinced that his elite boxing IQ would carry him to victory against anyone, including the current king of the junior middleweights. But unless Crawford decides to back up those words in the ring, the debate will rage on forever.
