IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) is best off staying at 147 reasonably than venturing as much as 154 to gamble within the shark-infested waters in that deep division. Staying at 147 is Boots Ennis’ greatest shot at changing into a star, and he has a significantly better likelihood of staying unbeaten longer than if he strikes up.
It doesn’t matter if Ennis by no means unifies the welterweight division. Simply holding onto his one piece of actual property together with his IBF belt is about the identical as capturing the opposite belts in opposition to obscure, no-talent champions at holding these belts.
The informal followers haven’t any clue who Mario Barrios, Eimantas Stanionis, and Brian Norman Jr. are. So, there’s no acquire for Boots to unify the division in opposition to these little recognized belt-holders. These fighters may as nicely be holding trinket titles as a result of the informal followers don’t know who they’re, and it’s uncertain they ever will.
“Karen was asking for this struggle. He went by means of the method to make this occur. He was combating in these silly IBF eliminators that put you able to get this sort of alternative,” mentioned Chris Mannix to DAZN Boxing about Karen Chukhadzhian wanting the rematch with IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
“I don’t blame him for it as a result of he’s in all probability getting paid six what he acquired paid for his final couple of fights. The true drawback is a sanctioning physique that enables one thing like this to occur. That enables a man that acquired his [backside] kicked over 12 rounds to struggle a number of low-level fights to be proper again in place to be the obligatory challenger,” Mannix continued about Chukhadzhian.
After all, Chukhadzhian needed the rematch with Boots Ennis as a result of that’s a title shot and a assured good payday for far more cash than what he was getting combating the 24 scrubs he beat to construct his 24-2 report. If the Worldwide Boxing Federation goes to make it simple for fighters to grow to be obligatory challengers with out combating anybody harmful, why wouldn’t Chukhadzhian benefit from it?
“They did kick the tires at 154. They [Team Ennis] talked a few Charles Conwell struggle,” mentioned Mannix about Ennis and his staff contemplating a transfer as much as 154 however then altering their minds. “They talked about combating different guys at 154. There simply wasn’t an enormous struggle on the market for him at 154, and proper now, that belt is foreign money. In case you are a champion, you are able to do some issues with it.”
What Mannix isn’t saying is that the fights that Ennis may get can be very arduous and dangerous ones that he may lose. Certainly, there aren’t any common fighters at 154 that may assure Boots Ennis an enormous mega-million payday. Nonetheless, what’s additionally true is that there are fighters at 154 that would doubtlessly beat Ennis, and so they do it brutally by knocking him out. Ennis may get knocked out if he moved up and fought these massive punchers:
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
– Israil Madrimov
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Sebastian Fundora
– Charles Conwell
We noticed what ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov did to Terence Crawford. He beat the stuffing out of the Omaha, Nebraska native, messing up his face so dangerous that he regarded he’d been run over. No matter ambition Crawford as soon as had about changing into the undisputed champion at 154 was pushed out of him by the punishment he took in opposition to Madrimov.
Boots Ennis would get the identical remedy, however he may not maintain up. He wouldn’t run across the ring like Crawford did to outlive Madrimov’s massive punches. Ennis would really attempt to struggle, and that would finish badly for him.
“You’ll be able to have a look at it and say, ‘Alright, Brian Norman. Alright, Stanionis. Alright, Barrios. It’s 2025. Let’s begin recent, get these negotiations, and make these unifications occur. The pathway for the largest fights for Boots nonetheless includes him having that belt,” mentioned Mannix.
Holding onto the IBF title doesn’t assure that Ennis will get unification fights in opposition to any of these champions with out his promoter, Eddie Hearn, developing with the bread to curiosity these champs to struggle him. Hearn hasn’t proven the will to pay the sort of cash that the opposite champions are asking for to face Boots.
If Ennis vacates his IBF title and strikes as much as 154, there’s no assure that he’s going to be the identical fighter in that division. They hit more durable at junior middleweight, and the division is stacked with fighters who’ve the identical sort of expertise as Ennis. That could be the rationale why Ennis and his father have chosen not to surrender the IBF belt.
They know that life could possibly be troublesome at 154, and Ennis could collapse as soon as he begins tasting the ability of the killers Bakhram Murtazaliev, Israil Madrimov, Vergil Ortiz Jr, and Serhii Bohachuk. You’ll be able to depend the outdated timer, Terence Crawford as a result of he’s clearly given up combating the younger expertise after getting a style of how highly effective and hungry they’re at 154 in his struggle in opposition to Madrimov on August third. Crawford is now simply ready for a handout from Canelo Alvarez. If he doesn’t get that struggle, he’ll probably retire.
