Newly anointed welterweight kingpin Terence Crawford isn’t exactly enamored by the risk-reward ratio that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis currently presents.
Crawford notched the biggest win of his career last Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he stopped Errol Spence Jr. in the ninth round of their ballyhooed undisputed welterweight championship. The 35-year-old native of Omaha, Nebraska, turned what many expected to be a competitive affair into a mismatch, dropping Spence three times in the process.
In an interview on Hot 97 with Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenberg, Crawford sounded off on a number of appealing matchups for him on the horizon.
After discounting a potential fight with Gervonta Davis (on account of the weight class disparity; the two are separated by two divisions), Crawford was then asked to consider one with Ennis, the dynamic 147-pound contender from Philadelphia. No problem there, with the weight, Crawford said, but he simply doesn’t see much value in a fight with Ennis, at least at this point of his career.
“That (fight with Ennis) can happen, cuz we at the same weight class, but you know, at this point in time, I’m looking for bigger and better opportunities, like Charlo,” Crawford said, referring to the undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) is coming off a punishing 10th round stoppage of Roiman Villa last month in Atlantic City.
Charlo and Crawford have sniped at each other over the years and their ongoing tiff continued last Saturday while Crawford was in the ring fighting Spence. After scoring a knockdown of Spence, Crawford retreated to the neutral corner where he began jawing off at a visibly agitated Charlo, who was ringside.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) explained what went on in their latest encounter.
“I gave him a little piece of my mind. You know what I mean?” Crawford said. “We’ve been going back [and forth] some time, and I was in the moment and just thought to let him know that I’m coming for him too.”
“I don’t really care for dude,” Crawford added. “I wouldn’t say I don’t like him. Cuz I don’t have no reason not to like him. Personally, I just don’t care for him.”
Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) is moving up two weight classes to face undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez in September.
Crawford could possibly enter into a rematch with Spence later this year, as Spence has a right to invoke one. That fight could take place at 154 pounds, but the choice of the weight class would be Crawford’s call. Crawford himself suggested after the fight that he would be open to fighting Spence in the rematch at the 154-pound limit.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.