Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is stubbornly determined to stay in the 147-lb division to become the undisputed welterweight champion and doesn’t seem to be bothered that all the big fights are happening at 154.
It’s possible that Boots Ennis can become a star at welterweight fighting no-name opposition because there’s little chance of him getting beaten by anyone. However, it will take Boots a lot longer to reach superstardom fighting the obscure fighters at welterweight because none are famous.
Crawford’s Mistake, Repeated
Ennis and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, believe that becoming undisputed at welterweight will transform him into a star. That may not be the case. Terence Crawford achieved that distinction at 140, and he didn’t become a star.
Crawford wasted years focusing on collecting the four belts at 140, and he should have moved up to 147 much faster than he did. Now, Ennis is making the same mistake. He’s stunting his career with his wrong-headed idea that collecting all the belts at 147 will make him a star. It won’t.
He didn’t become popular until he fought Errol Spence last year, and it had nothing to do with the undisputed title being on the line for that fight. It was more about Crawford fighting a fighter who was popular enough to make him a minor star.
In other words, Boots Ennis doesn’t need to waste time and years of his career staying at 147 to achieve his goal of becoming undisputed. If he thinks doing that will turn him into a star, he’s wrong.
The “Open Pastures” of Welterweight
“Haney may be looking at 147 because he’s looking big at 140. You got some potential there. You look at it as a wasteland from the point of view that it went from the mega-stars [to no-names,” said Paulie Malignaggi to the ProBox TV YouTube channel, putting a positive spin on Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis staying at the bleak, emptied-out 147 lb division.
Staying at 147 will cost Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) a lot of money, and he could regret it later if he misses out on the biggest fights in other weight classes, such as a clash against Terence Crawford.
“Let’s be optimistic; Let’s call it ‘Open Pastures.’ There’s some potential here to develop some things,’ said Malignaggi about the barren, lifeless 147-lb division.”
Malignaggi’s positive picture of the welterweight division, making it seem great, doesn’t change its reality. Staying there is a dead end for Boots Ennis and a waste of his career.
Malignaggi comes across like the George character from the novel Mice and Men, selling a false picture to Lennie Small, telling him how great things will be someday. It tragically doesn’t turn out that way.
If Ennis doesn’t feel up to the hardship of moving to 154 to face the killer sharks, he should stay and play it safe at 147 against the mediocre opposition. However, that doesn’t say much about Boots Ennis.
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