Some boxing fans are of the opinion that Jaron Ennis will one day become the pound-for-pound king.
“Boots” believes such a moment may come sooner than you might think.
“Maybe like one or two fights.” Ennis told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I’m right there. I just need that one name, that’s all.”
If the name is two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford, then Ennis may well be proven right. As the IBF welterweight champion, Ennis has had Crawford in his sights for some time. He was even the future Hall of Famer’s mandatory challenger in 2023, however Crawford choose to be stripped of the IBF belt rather than defend against Ennis. The fight has remained difficult to make.
“I’ve been asking for that fight,” a frustrated Ennis said of Crawford. “And I’m tired of answering the same questions. You all go ask him. I say ‘yes’ plenty of times. I’m tired of answering them questions.”
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) makes the second defense of his IBF welterweight title against his mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) on November 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The 27-year-old headlined in a major arena in his hometown for the first time in July and drew more than 14,000 fans to the home of the Philadelphia Flyers. Although his rematch with Chukhadzhian is undesirable due to the one-sided nature of their first fight, a strong crowd is expected again next month.
In the co-feature, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, a staple on pound-for-pound lists, faces his mandatory challenger Pedro Guevara. Witnessing “Boots” and “Bam” on the same card is a spectacle many will look forward to, and Ennis can’t wait either.
“It’s a blessing to have Bam on the card. He [is] top-five pound-for-pound, phenomenal fighter. I’m glad I’m able to have him on my card. Me and him together, it’s going to make fireworks.”
Some fight fans have blasted Ennis’s fight with the Ukrainian as another unnecessary IBF mandatory, but the 27-year-old sees the bigger picture. His sole goal is to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
“At the end of the day, if I’ve got to fight my mandatory, I got to fight my mandatory.” Ennis said, “And it’s not no problem with that with me. This time, we just gonna beat him easier, this time in a better fashion.”
The American is determined to correct any mistakes he made in his first fight with Chukhadzhian and silence any critics who believe that dealing with his challenger’s style may be a weak point in Ennis’ game.
“I watched that fight several times.” Ennis said of his 2023 win over Chukhadzhian. “It wasn’t nothing that he did; it was more so just me. Me just not listening to my corner and starting too late. Everything that I did from like the seventh round on, I feel like I should’ve did that earlier and I probably would’ve got the knockout. It wasn’t him; it was me. This time around, we gonna expect the same guy. He ain’t going to switch up nothing up, he’s gonna try and box and move and do whatever he do, and we got something for all of that. I’ve been studying him, and I’ve been working on a lot of things, and come fight night, it’s going to be fireworks, and I can’t wait. It’s going to be a spectacular night for me.”
Ennis will one day move up to super welterweight, but while he’s still at 147 pounds, he would like to prove himself as the top dog of the division.
“My main objective is to get these belts. I was trying — I was pushing hard to collect these belts and be undisputed, at least unify. That was my goal. Those things fell out, and I had to fight my mandatory. It is what it is, I don’t really care. I’m ready to go in there and put on a show, have fun, and look better this time. Just do my thing.”
Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, offered the WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. $1.7 million to face Ennis on November 9 — a sum that was at least several times Norman’s biggest-ever purse. Norman Jr., however, turned down the proposal, instead asking for $2.2 million, a number Hearn was unwilling to pay for the unification bout. Eimantas Stanionis, the WBA titlist, and Mario Barrios, the WBC beltholder, also reportedly rejected offers to face Ennis.
Another name that has been linked with Boots is that of the former unified lightweight king Teofimo Lopez. Ennis said he is more than willing to accept that challenge too.
“Bring them on, bring them all on,” he said. “I want to fight everybody. I want to show the world that I’m the best fighter in the world.”
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