“For sure. Anybody that y’all ask me, if somebody gives y’all a list and y’all ask me who I think is easy work, I’m going to say easy work every single time because I believe in myself,” Ennis said to TNT Sports. “Can’t nobody in this game do what I do. I feel like I’m the best.”
That answer was predictable. He could hardly stand beside Crawford and concede that the former undisputed champion would beat him. Crawford was more interested in testing the confidence behind the words.
Crawford Wants More Than Josh Kelly
Questioning the punishment Ennis has taken, Crawford suggested he would have attacked rather than allowing Boots to recover. Ennis responded that he would have done the same to Crawford.
The discussion then turned to Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Sebastian Fundora. In Crawford’s view, beating Josh Kelly would not earn Ennis the same credit as defeating either of those two junior middleweights.
“We would have seen it if you would have fought Vergil,” Crawford told him.
In response, Ennis insisted that he has always stepped forward when opponents hurt him. Crawford gave him credit but wants to see that aggression against a dangerous pressure fighter or a 6’5″ champion who can overwhelm opponents with volume.
“If you step on Fundora, I give you props,” Crawford said. “If you step on somebody like Vergil, I give you props.”
The criticism will lead some fans to accuse Ennis of choosing Kelly over the strongest opposition at 154. That conclusion would be premature without knowing which fights were financially and politically available. Ortiz fights under Golden Boy, Fundora has been associated with PBC cards, and Ennis has his own promotional obligations.
Those divisions between promoters can prevent an obvious fight without either boxer refusing it. Still, Crawford’s point carries weight. Ennis cannot build his claim as boxing’s next dominant star by repeatedly destroying opponents one level below the elite.
Vergil Would Test Boots’ Defensive Habits
To Boots, Ortiz is made for him. His speed, combinations, switch hitting, and counterpunching would give him obvious opportunities against an opponent who continually advances.
There was some agreement from Crawford that Ortiz’s style may suit Boots, but he also reminded him that seeing openings is different from surviving the pressure long enough to exploit them.
Rather than merely walking forward looking for one punch, Ortiz attacks the body, stays close after throwing, and forces opponents to work when they would prefer to rest. Ennis has occasionally backed away in straight lines while depending on his reflexes to escape. Against Ortiz, those retreats would give up ground and leave Boots near the ropes, where the incoming body shots would become harder to avoid.
The move deeper into junior middleweight adds another concern. Ennis absorbed clean shots from Karen Chukhadzhian and Avanesyan at welterweight without losing control, but natural 154-pound fighters bring greater strength into exchanges. Boots may still possess the better skills, but Crawford wants to see how those skills hold up after a physically stronger opponent forces him through several hard rounds.
Crawford’s Avanesyan Argument Cuts Both Ways
The Avanesyan comparison was also used to reduce the value of Kelly as an opponent. Avanesyan stopped Kelly in six rounds in 2021 before Crawford knocked him out in the sixth round the following year. Ennis then forced Avanesyan’s corner to end their fight after five rounds in 2024.
“Kelly already got knocked out by a person that you knocked out,” Crawford said after briefly struggling to remember Avanesyan’s name.
That is classic boxing mathematics, and it rarely provides a reliable forecast. Kelly losing to Avanesyan does not automatically mean he would lose to every fighter who later beat Avanesyan. Styles, preparation, timing, and a fighter’s development can change the result.
The comparison also gives Boots an answer. Crawford cannot use Avanesyan to separate himself from Ennis when both men stopped him. Ennis technically did it one round sooner, although Crawford produced the cleaner individual knockout.
His broader criticism is more persuasive than the triangle theory. Kelly has rebuilt since his loss, but beating him would not answer the same questions as defeating Ortiz or Fundora. Kelly can box, move, and counter. He would not bring the sustained physical pressure that makes the other two opponents more revealing tests.
Questioning the punishment Ennis has taken, Crawford told him, “You know what I would’ve done to you if you would’ve got hurt in that last fight?” His point was that he would have attacked rather than allowing Boots to recover. Ennis responded that he would have done the same to Crawford.
By the end, Crawford had softened his tone, saying he wants Ennis to succeed at 154, 160, and even 168 pounds. There was respect in the exchange, but Crawford was also guarding his position.
Long discussed as Crawford’s successor, Ennis invites comparisons with what the former welterweight champion accomplished every time he produces a dominant performance. Questioning Boots’ opposition allows Crawford to encourage him while reminding everyone that talent and accomplishments are not the same thing.
