Commentator Antonio Tarver believes Terence Crawford would beat Jaron “Boots” Ennis if they met and proved who was better.
Crawford is expected to retire soon, and could do so if he gets a fight with Canelo Alvarez. Before that, he must face Israil Madrimov, the WBA junior middleweight champion, on August 3.
Crawford could lose to Madrimov, destroying his hopes of fighting Canelo. If Crawford wins, he will likely try to capture the remaining 154 titles to become undisputed.
Tarver believes former three-division world champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) fared better in his win over David Avanesyan two years ago than Ennis’ performance against “Boot” on July 13.
For the record, “Boots” (32-0, 29 KOs) stopped Avanesyan a round earlier in the fifth round, compared to Crawford’s sixth-round knockout on December 10, 2022.
Boots looked stronger and much younger than the 34-year-old version of Crawford who fought Avanesyan two years ago.
Ennis was often attacked by Avanesyan, but he always responded. Crawford was also attacked by Avanesyan, but he put more energy into his defense than Boots. It was a different approach.
Ennis was trying to get Avanesyan out of there and wasn’t focused on not getting hit like Crawford. Crawford was pushing strenuous so Avanesyan wouldn’t overwhelm him from the inside. The ref should have warned Crawford about pushing but I didn’t see a single warning.
Unlike Crawford, Ennis was eager to continue fighting in the ring and overwhelmed Avanesyan with body blows and hooks.
“He has a radiant future. He’s firing on all cylinders at the moment,” said Antonio Tarver Fighting with excitementtalking about Jaron “Boots” Ennis after his impressive victory over David Avanesyan.
“I thought he played great, except for a few times where he lost focus, but that’s normal when a guy fights at home,” Tarver said of Boots Ennis, who fought in front of his hometown crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ennis didn’t lose focus. He tried to knock Avanesyan down and didn’t put any energy into avoiding his punches. He was in a hurry to score points for stopping Avanesyan because he wanted to get the knockout faster than Crawford, and he was forced to throw a few punches to achieve that goal.
“He’s going to have to mentally toughen up and focus a lot more against Crawford,” Tarver said of Boots. “That’s the fight everyone wants to see. He’s different from all the other welterweights. If we’re ever going to fight to see who’s really the best welterweight, he and Crawford have to fight,” Tarver said of wanting Ennis and Crawford to face off to prove who’s the best.
If Ennis and Crawford were to fight, it wouldn’t happen for another two years. Crawford only fights once a year, and his fight this year is against Madrimov. Then Crawford would fight in early 2025. After that, he’d likely be out until the first quarter of 2026. By then, Crawford would be almost 39 years aged and would pose no threat to Boots Ennis.
“It looked like he was surprised by some of the shots. You’re going to get hit, but when you get surprised by a shot, it means your defense was tender. It means he sneaked one in on you. That was the difference,” Tarver said of the shots that Ennis was hit by Avanesyan.
I watched the fight live and Ennis didn’t care if Avanesyan hit him. He just wanted to punch him and was willing to take punches to punch him.
Ennis knows that boxing is all about entertainment, and to do that, you have to be ready for the punches. Crawford was lifeless against Avanesyan because he was moving, pushing, and ducking punches to avoid the punches.
“Crawford got a strenuous time” [by Avanesyan]but he was aware of it. I think the reason he got hit was because Avanesyan threw some great punches. Crawford’s focus never wavered. He never lost focus in the fight,” Tarver said.
Crawford was unaware of the many punches Avanesyan was throwing at him. He was getting hit as he moved around the ring, trying to avoid the punches. He was always trying to get away from Avanesyan’s pressure, but he couldn’t because his wheels weren’t what they used to be.
“When I look at the two of them and compare them, that was the difference. Crawford controlled Avaneysan a lot better than Boots did,” Tarver said.
Boots Ennis was in a seek and destroy motion, constantly coming forward. Crawford was backing up, trying to escape Avanesyan’s pressure. It wasn’t even half the fun, and the exploding gloves made it worse.
“I’m a Crawford guy. I’ll always run with Crawford,” Tarver said when asked if he’d have to choose between Ennis and Crawford if they clashed. “I’ve seen him [Crawford] long ago, and I had made up my mind long ago. He did nothing but solidify everything I thought he could be.”
The guys Crawford beat weren’t good enough to make a statement. They were all pretty. Crawford beat eight times at 147, and the two best guys were 34, Errol Spence and Shawn Porter. They weren’t the same fighters they were in the past.
“Until someone beats Crawford, I’m sticking with him. I don’t mind losing when I take my guy. Until he loses, I’m sticking with him. I’d rather be wrong than turn my back on a fighter I fell in love with a long time ago,” Tarver said, predicting Crawford would beat Boots Ennis.
If Crawford fought Boots Ennis, they could show the fans who is the best, but since Terence won’t do it, you have to give it to the younger guy by default. If the older guy doesn’t want to fight the teenage lion, you can guess why. He doesn’t have the confidence and they’re not good enough.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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