Hearn Hopes Ennis’ Road Will Lead To Crawford At 154

Jaron “Boots” Ennis will re-start his promising career against Cody Crowley on a path that his new promoter, Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, believes will lead to a showdown with Terence Crawford.

 

Hearn will unveil his plans for Ennis on Friday in Philadelphia at a news conference that will feature his Matchroom debut against Crowley, a Canadian, at Philly’s Wells Fargo Center on July 13.

 

“Everyone in the welterweight division, I think, is now looking at Boots,” the busy Hearn said Wednesday while in Phoenix for a news conference teasing the June 29 bout between junior bantamweights Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Juan Francisco Estrada. “He’s now the focus of all the key players at 147 pounds.”

 

Ennis, who signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom last month, has the International Boxing Federation’s welterweight belt, which the IBF awarded him in November after it stripped Crawford.

 

Crawford, who has been at the top of the pound-for-pound debate since his stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. last July, is moving up to junior middleweight. 

 

The unbeaten Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) will make his 154-pound debut against the mostly unknown Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) of Uzbekistan on Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium, the old Sports Arena in Los Angeles.

 

Crawford’s move up the scale opens up a chance for Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) to unify the 147-pound title, Hearn says.

Leading contenders include Eimantas Stanionis and Mario Barrios.

Stanionis is the World Boxing Association’s so-called “regular” welterweight champion. Barrios holds the World Boxing Council’s interim welterweight belt.

Tim Tszyu could get back into the 154-pound mix, too. He lost the World Boxing Organization’s junior middleweight title to Sebastian Fundora in a stunning, bloody upset March 30.

All could play a part in Ennis’ attempt to unify the welterweight title. 

But Hearn’s long-term goal for Ennis, who hasn’t fought since a KO of Roiman Villa last July 7, is a showdown with Crawford.

“At 154 pounds,’’ Hearn clarified, before leaving Phoenix for Philly.

Ennis-Crawford can happen, Hearn said, because of Crawford’s new relationship with Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, who put together the Crawford-Madrimov bout.

 

“Crawford will want a lot of money to fight Boots,” Hearn said.

 

Alalshikh has a lot.