Paulie Malignaggi believes ‘Boots’ Ennis is between a ‘rock and a hard place’

Not long ago, those enthralled by Jaron “Boots” Ennis made comparisons to Roy Jones Jnr, said he was sending shudders through then-welterweight champions Errol Spence Jnr, and Terence Crawford and was the pound-for-pound heir apparent.

Following a second consecutive flat showing, Ennis 33-0 (29 KOs) is under scrutiny, to either exit the division or move up to the most stacked weight class in the sport.

Ennis is not in a good place.

His situation was the subject of a ProBox TV “Top Stories” episode Monday, when analysts Chris Algieri, Paulie Malignaggi and Teddy Atlas took turns assessing his position.

Malignaggi said Ennis found himself in “one of those rock-and-a-hard-place” spots in having to defend his IBF welterweight scrap against a mandatory foe in Karen Chukhadzhian that he had already swept on the scorecards last year.

This time around, Ennis fought as if he was weight drained, got punched often and rocked occasionally and admitted he all but tuned out his father-trainer Bozy Ennis’ repeated directions to “get him outta there.”

“‘Boots is a bit too hittable and not creative enough going through the front door,” Malignaggi said. “He’s world-class, destructive, a fun fighter, but … there’s susceptibility.”

In a 147-pound division that counts Mario Barrios, Eimantas Stanionis and Brian Norman Jnr as champions, Ennis appears bored, and conceded afterward that it will take better fighters to bring out the best in him.

“You’re under the looking glass, the microscope … and he performed poorly, got hit too much, too clean, too flush,” Algieri said. “The real separator [among elite boxers] is defense. Jaron is getting touched up.”

Algieri wasn’t giving Ennis an excuse, but he wonders if the Philadelphia fighter’s struggles might be “related to the weight – being drained, tearing down muscle tissue, being dehydrated.”

This happens, Algieri said, “especially with athletic, high-output, high-energy guys” who are drained.

Yet, the comfort of adding weight conflicts with the talent upgrade of daring to move to 154, where champions Crawford, Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev reign and contenders Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Tim Tszyu roam.

“What happens at 154, where guys are big and punch harder?” Algieri wonders. “He’s got to deal with those defensive lapses.”

There’s been chatter Ennis could fight WBC interim junior-middleweight champion Ortiz 22-0 (21 KOs) February 22 in Saudi Arabia. Is it too much?

“Only [Ennis] knows … those twitchy, energetic guys seem to be more hurt by a weight crunch,” Atlas said. “So there’s credence to move up. You hear that about him: What a big welterweight!”

Atlas said he believes it’s “unfair” to degrade Ennis because of the one bout. 

“He was fighting an awkward, clever guy and was caught by surprise,” Atlas said. “The reality is he might be a little like Teofimo [Lopez] … he might fight up or down to the competition. He said if [he] fights better guys [he’ll] be more alert. He’s too reactive defensively and you need to be proactive before you get hit.

“He’s human.”