Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis might be making a mistake if he chooses to vacate his IBF welterweight title to maneuver as much as 154 to increase his horizons for greater fights.
Leaving the Welterweight Consolation Zone
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) will lose the scale, energy, and expertise benefit he’s been having fun with within the barren 147-lb division. He’s had a very good factor going combating at welterweight in opposition to the smaller scrubs and has made respectable cash with out combating anybody of high quality.
The most effective title on the 27-year-old Boots Ennis’ resume is David Avanesyan, a profession fringe contender in severe decline at 35. Boots obtained hit loads in opposition to Avanesyan and didn’t look even barely spectacular in that struggle final July.
If Ennis strikes as much as 154, he’ll face guys with the ability to harm him, and his profession might rapidly disintegrate. For a fighter as straightforward to hit as Boots, he may disintegrate when he faces these killers:
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Israil Madrimov
– Charles Conwell
– Jesus Ramos
– Xander Zayas
– Terence Crawford
– Errol Spence Jr.
– Tim Tszyu
– Erickson Lubin
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
Ennis’ new promoter, Eddie Hearn, failed to barter a struggle with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr this week. The negotiations fell aside over a mere $500K, which shouldn’t have been an enormous hurdle to beat if there have been a want by Hearn and Boots to make that struggle occur.
Additionally this week, Hearn misplaced the purse bid for Boots’ necessary protection of his IBF belt in opposition to Karen Chukhadzhian. This was much more worrisome as a result of if Boots meant to maintain his IBF title, he’d now lose out on combating in entrance of a sold-out Wells Fargo Heart in Philadelphia and can be combating in Europe someplace, probably Germany.
Even when Hearn was unwilling to open his pocketbook to put money into his fighter, Boots, he ought to have been prepared to pay out of his personal pocket to make one of many fights occur. Shockingly, Boots and Hearn let the Norman Jr. struggle slip by means of their fingers over a paltry $500K. You surprise if they’ll remorse this if Boots winds up shifting to 154 and getting crushed proper off the bat by Madrimov or one of many different massive punchers.
“It’s a really robust weight class. It’s very deep, and there are plenty of proficient guys. He’s going to be giving up measurement. That’s one in every of his benefits at 147,” stated boxing pundit Chris Algieri to the Probox TV YouTube channel, speaking about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis probably shifting as much as 154.
A Potential Profession Setback
Ennis is loopy to maneuver as much as 154 relatively than staying at welterweight as a result of he’ll be gifting away all the benefits that he’s loved at 147. If his protection and expertise had been higher, it wouldn’t be an issue for him to go as much as junior middleweight to tackle the killers in that division. Sadly, Boots’ protection is nonexistent, and he doesn’t pack sufficient energy to glide by means of the opposition at 154.
“He’s big at 147. He’s one of many greatest welterweights I’ve seen,” stated Algieri. “On prime of that, he’s so athletic. He [Ennis] will get hit. We noticed that in his final struggle [David Avanesyan]. We noticed that in plenty of his fights. He’s prepared to get hit with these guys as a result of they’re smaller than him. These 154-pounders, I don’t assume that’s a good suggestion.
“He’s going to have to regulate his type. He’s not going to have the ability to be so offensive-minded with the 154-pounders, the fellows which can be proficient, the fellows which can be greater, and the fellows that may punch. So, if he doesn’t have that measurement benefit like he has at 147, he’s going to must make changes to his type,” stated Algieri.
It’s fairly potential that Boots Ennis will lose in his first struggle at 154 if the rumors are true that he might be combating former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in his first struggle in that division. We noticed what Madrimov did to Terence Crawford final August, coming near beating him, and hitting all evening with proper palms.
Since that struggle, Crawford has modified his thoughts about making an attempt to turn into an undisputed champion, and you’ll solely conclude that Madrimov destroyed his ambition with the precise palms he was hitting him with at will. If Madrimov may do this to Crawford, simply think about what he’ll do to Ennis.
“It’s robust. 154 goes to be a really robust weight class for him to leap into as a result of it’s proper into the deep waters. All people in that weight class is sweet. There are such a lot of names. I agree going to 154 is the place the cash is at,” stated Algieri.
154 is a division for superior fighters with expertise, and Ennis is simply too flawed to maneuver up there with out coming aside rapidly underneath fireplace. Hearn has sufficient fighters to the place it received’t be the tip of the world for him, however Ennis might be in unhealthy form if his profession sinks on this weight class. He’d have problem returning to 147 after settling in at 154. Even when he does return, there’s no telling whether or not he may be the fighter he was earlier than he was labored over at 154.
