It was supposed to be an all-out war, something that boxing fans would never forget.
Errol Spence Jr. and Terence “Bud” Crawford captured the imagination of the boxing world. No matter how you sliced it, considering their resumes, the two were viewed as the best welterweights around. And while Jaron Ennis would vehemently disagree with that statement, he quietly took a backseat.
Like many, Ennis was expecting a knockdown, drag-out brawl between them. But, as the two lined up on opposite sides of the ring this past Saturday night, it turned into a one-sided beating in favor of Crawford.
To a large extent, Ennis was disappointed by what he saw. Crawford sent the normally durable former champion crashing down to the canvas in the second round, reacquainted him with the deck in the seventh, and finished him off in the ninth. Although it didn’t play out the way he was expecting, Ennis did show reverence to Crawford and his latest accomplishment.
“It was an ok fight,” Ennis told YSM Sports Media. “Bud did his thing.”
The action may have been mundane but Crawford’s clear cut victory has officially moved up to the top of the welterweight division’s mountain. According to Ennis, his latest showing should leave no doubt in terms of who’s the biggest threat to Crawford at 147 pounds. Just a few weeks prior to Crawford’s undisputed win, Ennis blasted Roiman Villa.
The Columbian contender had little to no answers for what the Philly native brought on the night. The 26-year-old vacillated between stances and unleashed everything in his offensive arsenal, leading to a 10th-round stoppage victory.
Although a fight against Crawford is his number one goal, he views Spence as a quaint secondary option. The now beaten former champ is ultimately hoping that he’ll be given a chance to prove that his lopsided loss against Crawford was nothing more than an off night. If, however, the two don’t meet for a second time and Spence opts to remain put at 147 pounds, then Ennis believes it makes all the sense in the world for them to meet up.
“The main guy that I want is Bud. I’ll take Spence too but I think Spence is gonna go up to 54.”