HEARN MOCKS CRAWFORD; SAYS ENNIS BEATS HIM AFTER HIS MADRIMOV PERFORMANCE
Eddie Hearn has backed Jaron Ennis to beat Terence Crawford.
Hearn’s comments were made in response to Crawford’s win over Israil Madrimov. Bud defeated Madrimov to win the WBA Junior Middleweight Title via a unanimous decision. The victory made him a four-weight world champion. However, the scorecards raised some controversy. Hearn felt the fight was much closer, saying Crawford had not done enough to secure the win from the champion.
Crawford claimed that Madrimov’s team knew they had come up short. Israil has called for a rematch, while Jaron Ennis was also ringside to see Bud’s performance. Ennis was the IBF mandatory for Crawford at 147. But since Crawford was obligated to fight Errol Spence Jr. in their rematch, Bud was stripped. Ennis became the full champion, while Crawford moved up to 154. They have been linked with a fight, and Hearn backed Boots to win.
Hearn On Ennis
“He’s not going to call out. That’s not his style. It’s the big cringe. Terence Crawford isn’t going to fight Boots. Boots beats Terence Crawford on that performance. Crawford isn’t going to fight Jaron Ennis unless someone comes up with a load of money, and the fight is not big enough yet,” Hearn said
The other problem Ennis faces is the absence of belts at 154. Crawford was already undisputed at 147, meaning there was no incentive for Crawford to fight him. Meanwhile, if Ennis moves up to 154, he misses the chance to chase undisputed at 147. Ennis also has nothing to offer Crawford at 154 pounds. If that fight were to happen, Crawford would need a big purse.
The Saudis have the capabilities to do that. They shelled out for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. However, it appears that Ennis’ focus is on becoming undisputed at 147 first. But by the time he does that, the Crawford fight might not be there. Bud is 36 years old, meaning he is in the latter part of his career.
Crawford Vs. Ennis
Crawford has also called for the Canelo Alvarez fight. A win makes Crawford a five-division champion and become a potential all-time great. Alvarez is the cash cow of the sport, meaning Bud gets a bigger purse than facing Ennis. Crawford also knows a defeat to Alvarez does not damage his career since he is not the favorite going into that fight. The Saudis are behind the fight, with Turki Alalshikh committed to getting Bud the biggest fights. While an Ennis fight could still play out if Boots continues winning, Hearn recognized that the bout is unlikely.
“Jaron Ennis isn’t going to cringe showing up at press conferences, shouting and screaming. He’s the best welterweight in the world. He wants to win all the belts. Bud is up at 154. He [Ennis] doesn’t want to vacate his belt. He wants to win the welterweight championship undisputed. Unless they come up with mad money, which doesn’t exist for that fight [Crawford-Ennis] yet,” Hearn added
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