His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has hit a duster with his attempts to set up a fight between one of his favored fighters, Terence Crawford, and Canelo Alvarez.
With that fight off the table, fans want to see Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs. Crawford next. Fans want to see that fight in the U.S. market, and it would likely outsell the alternative options for Crawford.
Turki had wanted Canelo to fight for Crawford; even the Nebraska native had never fought at 168 and would be completely overmatched.
Overcoming Crawford’s Reluctance
For the Crawford-Ennis fight to happen, Turki would need to overcome Crawford’s stubborn resistance to fighting Boots because he and his trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, have wanted nothing to do with fighting the talent.
Turki would have to have a long talk with Crawford to get him to agree to fight Ennis because he’s been resistant to taking the risky match. It’s understandable because Crawford isn’t young, and Boots would take advantage of his age.
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, have already said they want the Crawford fight next.
Hearn predicted that Crawford, 36, would lose to the young phenom Ennis based on how he looked last Saturday night, winning a questionable twelve-round unanimous decision over WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.
Crawford looked faded, eating right hands all night from Madrimov, and was fortunate to get the decision by the three judges assigned to the fight.
Passing the Torch
- Ennis as the Heir Apparent
- A Noble Gesture
- A Fitting End
Crawford-Ennis fight would sell to the casual market for fans because Boots Ennis is a rising star and would be seen as having a solid chance of beating the aging lion Crawford.
Many view Ennis, 27, as Crawford’s replacement and a more exciting upgrade. It would be a noble gesture on Crawford’s part to agree to fight Boots because it would allow him to become his successor and the next star in the U.S.
Turki is fond of Crawford and would be willing to join him in this fight, knowing that his potential to lose to Ennis would be high. Crawford is heading towards the end of his career anyway, and fighting Ennis might be as good as it gets.
Getting beaten by Boots is much better than Crawford’s career ending with a defeat against a less popular fighter like Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr, Serhii Bohachuk, or Tim Tszyu.
If Turki still hopes to negotiate a fight between Crawford and Canelo in 2025, he would probably be resistant to matching Crawford against Boots because that would be a changing-of-the-guard matchup. However, it might be a waste of time for Turki to hope for that fight unless he’s willing to pay Canelo $100 million+, which is likely his asking price.
Crawford is popular with a segment of hardcore boxing fans who enjoy his tactical style, but he’s not a star with casual fans in the U.S. He lacks charisma, and his fighting style is too similar to Shakur Stevenson’s, which has held him back from becoming more popular.
Last weekend, Crawford showed why he’s not become popular with his boring chess match fight against Israil Madrimov. The fans booed the fight, and there are reports that people were exiting the BMO Stadium in large numbers well before it ended. They came to see Isaac Cruz vs. Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela in the co-feature, which was a far more exciting fight.
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