Similarities between Ennis and Crawford that show ‘Boots’ may have imitated ‘Bud’

Jaron “Boots” Ennis Announced herself in the super-welterweight division with an emphatic first round victory over ranked contender Usama Lima in front of her home support. philadelphia On Saturday.

It’s clear that Ennis is now ready for the biggest fights available in his quest to become a multi-division champion and the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Many have drawn comparisons between Ennis and the current pound-for-pound king, Terence CrawfordFor their style and career path.

Crawford didn’t become a superstar until his late 30s, but Ennis, 28, has the opportunity to chase that greatness before the Omaha native.

But how deep do the comparisons run between the two, and what does Ennis have to achieve to confirm the comparisons and realize his potential?

switch-hitter

The most easily noticeable similarity between Ennis and Crawford is their switch-hitting ability. This is something that sets a boxer apart from the crowd – the ability to be equally effective in orthodox and southpaw stances is rare in the sport.

Both fighters use this very effectively to be able to create space for themselves defensively by transitioning into a different stance, causing their opponent to think twice before launching another attack.

They also use it as an offensive tool to create new angles of attack or surprise their opponent, and force them to hesitate in defence, opening up many more opportunities.

This makes the puzzle twice as difficult to solve, as an opponent has twice as much information to download in terms of pattern and rhythm recognition because no boxer fights as much in orthodox as they do in southpaw.

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eye test

It has long been clear that Ennis is one of the most accomplished and naturally talented fighters in the world.

He has a shot, lights-out power and a Drunken Master-esque defensive style that is as flashy as it is effective and is unbeaten in 35 bouts with 31 knockouts.

But the only drawback is that he has yet to prove it against any of the pound-for-pound level stars that many believe he is capable of doing.

Ennis’s best wins to date have come against David Avanesyan and Karen Chukhadjian, who are solid handlers, but not at the level of fighters Ennis must overcome to become the world’s best.

Crawford proved his quality long before he had a chance to convince the public, easily defeating the best the lightweight, super-lightweight and welterweight divisions had to offer, which was not the most reliable opposition at the time.

Wins over Victor Postol, Julius Indongo, Jose Benavidez Jr. and Avanesyan were hallmarks of Crawford’s quality. But Crawford didn’t prove his true star power until age 35, when he took charge and easily disposed of Errol Spence Jr.Two years later he had a historic victory. canelo alvarezWhen he was approaching his 38th birthday.

Ennis’s last fight against Lima, despite an impressive performance, didn’t do much to further his argument for being the pound-for-pound star, and he’ll need to carry that momentum into an elite level fight to win over his doubters.

stopped waiting for super fights

Before Ennis made the move to super-welterweight, he was hoping to become the undisputed welterweight champion, filling the power vacuum left by Crawford, but the champions at the time hung on to their belts and resorted to mandatory challengers or lower-tier voluntary defenses to hold on to their respective thrones. This put Ennis at a crossroads – wait for opportunity or hunt for bigger challenges?

Even after moving up in weight, it was initially rumored that Ennis would dive straight into the deep end and take on the touted 154-pounder in WBC interim champion Virgil Ortiz, in what has become one of the most sought-after fights in boxing today.

But Ortiz now faces tough challenger Erickson Lubin next month, and Ennis has another challenge to decide who to fight next – does he wait out Ortiz, or does he attempt to challenge one of the more fully fledged super-welterweight champions and begin his path to undisputed status?

Just as Ennis started his career at welterweight and is now looking for the biggest fights that have forced him up to super-welterweight, the same can be said for Crawford, who actually started his career at lightweight.

Crawford waited 23 fights to win his first world title at lightweight, defeating Ricky Burns to become WBO champion in 2014. But the division was not moving fast enough for Crawford, who saw his chance to dominate at super-lightweight, where he became the undisputed champion in seven fights.

“Bud” then held the welterweight division, but he had to wait much longer to achieve undisputed status when he defeated Errol Spence. He had to wait five years to become undisputed from his welterweight debut, compared to two years at super-lightweight, and Ennis may have to show similar patience.

What does Ennis need to do to emulate Crawford?

If Ennis hopes to emulate Crawford or go one step further, he will have to maintain his momentum and rely on his ability as a fighter to push himself into the biggest fights of all time.

In terms of big fights, a fight with Virgil Ortiz seems to be the most easily available option for Ennis. If he can defeat Ortiz, who many think is the best at 154 pounds at the moment despite not having a world title, it would be the best springboard for him to move forward and become an undisputed champion – a feat he missed in the welterweight division.

He must try to replicate the speed with which Crawford made it to super-lightweight rather than welterweight, especially if he hopes to move up again and conquer the middleweight division.

If Ennis can become the undisputed super-welterweight champion and then do the same at middleweight over the next five years, he may even have time to try to unify another division – but he needs to move up.

When laid out in black and white, Crawford’s accomplishments throughout his career seem almost impossible. Ennis is still young, but after demolishing Lima this weekend, it’s time for him to move on in his pursuit of greatness.

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