At Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center Friday afternoon Philadelphia’s unbeaten IBF World Welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and his No. 1 IBF Contender unbeaten Cody ‘Warrior of Light’ Crowley met prior to their meeting on July 13th at the center that will be viewed over DAZN.
(Photo credit: Andrew Maclean/Matchroom)
Both fighters sounded confident they would have a victory on that night. Ennis was known for being a very avoided fighter before earning his title. He has won all of his thirty-one fights with twenty-eight by stoppage. He made it clear he looked forward to unifying the titles but said “I’m not looking past this fight!”
With previous world welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford leaving the division looking for a possible match with Unified Super Middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, which would be his biggest money match at age 38, it opened up all the titles at 147. Defending only once a year didn’t give most of the contenders the opportunity that the winner of the Ennis and Crowley match.
When he was the No. 1 contender in the IBF USBA ratings, none of the contenders would agree to fight him, so the IBF allowed No. 2 and No. 7 to meet for the vacant title. Talk about being avoided.
So, he wants to be not only a fighting champion but fight the top-ranked contenders, and Crowley being the fighter he has accepted the offer and opportunity.
Both fighters have been inactive since last summer. Ennis knocked out Venezuela’s Roiman ‘Flaco de Oro’ Villa, 26-1, in ten rounds on July eighth at The Ballroom, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Crowley is unbeaten in twenty-two fights with nine stoppages, last fought on March twenty-fifth, winning a majority decision over Abel Ramos, 27-5-2, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. A native of Ontario, Canada, he has had residence in Las Vegas.
Some of the fans in attendance were not fair when Crowley talked about his father dying from hanging himself and how he himself had lost his site at one point before an operation and considered taking his own life being through all he was through and was ready for this opportunity and confident of victory.
His mother was also in attendance. Those representing the fighters on stage went back and forth when the teacher-trainer ‘Bozy’ Ennis made it clear he himself would deal with the person sitting next to Crowley before Hearn settled things down focusing on the upcoming fight those sitting next to their fighters.
Hearn said he felt Ennis fighting in his hometown for the first time as champion would establish the Wells Fargo Center as his facility as champion in the city that is well known for being a city of good fighters.
This will be the first time Ennis has fought back in his hometown since stopping fellow Philly fighter Ray Serrano, 24-5, in November of 2018. He had been fighting throughout the country, primarily on Showtime events, until they stopped promoting boxing.
Both fighters did show confidence and respect for one another. Whenever you find fighters yelling at one another and all they would do to each other it usually turns out to be a dull fight. This fight looks like it will be a good one with both not going that route.
Hearn is just what Ennis needed as a promoter making things happen for him now. While the other champions in his division showed no interest in fighting him Crowley has stepped up and accepted the chance to be a champion. “I wanted to fight the best champion, which he is, though I was the No. 1 contender also at WBC,” said Crowley.
When the press confidence ended you knew a good match would be something the fans would get to see. Matchroom Boxing would be the one’s to assure of this being put together. Hearn made it clear that he had tried to sign Ennis for years and now that he has he will be the one to get him the opportunities that have not happen for him in the past.
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