Connect with us

Boxing

Bernie Davis encourages “Boots” to fight Bakhram Murtazaliev

Published

on

Image: “Fight the Boogeyman”: Coach Bernie Davis Urges ‘Boots’ Ennis to Step Up Against Bakhram Murtazaliev to Back Up Eddie Hearn’s Hype

Trainer Bernie Davis says he wants Jaron “Boots” Ennis next to pursue 154-pound bogeyman, IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, to prove his worth.

Davis says that given the way Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn is praising him as Terence Crawford’s successor, he wants him to take a real risk and fight Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KO) next. He doesn’t think WBA champion Abass Baraou is worthy of fighting in the Boots.

Strike while victory is fresh

Hearn only briefly mentioned Murtazaliev’s name last Saturday after Ennis’ first-round knockout victory over Uisma Lima in Philadelphia. The fighter he talked about most was WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr., whom he credits as the first step toward earning a fight with Crawford. I disagree. Ennis is now ready for Crawford.

Defeating Vergil Jr. and there is no need for Bakhram for “Boots” to call in Crawford and fight him now, before he gets much older. He already has an age excuse if he loses, claiming he is 38 years venerable.

If Ennis waits another year or two, Crawford will live to be 40; there is little to be gained by beating him in terms of legacy. It’s time. Crawford just defeated Canelo Alvarez, and while that victory is still fresh, “Boots” should fight him before it fades away. You saw how tired Crawford looked after the fight. He looked 38 and then older and fought like him too. Except Canelo was worse.

Beating Bakhram means something

“If Bakhram is a bogeyman and this guy [Ennis] is a Roy Jones Jr. hybrid. and Terence Crawford, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t fight this guy,” coach Bernie Davis said. MillCity Boxing that Jaron “Boots” Ennis will next face IBF 154-pound champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Bakhram, 32, has not fought since last year, when he defeated Tim Tszyu in the third round on October 19, 2024. Who knows what impact this year has had on him outside the ring? Besides, he had never beaten anyone of note before this fight, and he was fighting Jack Culcay. As we saw with Tszyu’s recent seventh-round loss to Sebastian Fundora on July 19, he is not as good as fans thought. Fundora is not a robust puncher, but he crushed Tszyu.

“I’m looking for him to make a statement against Bakhram. Because this kid doesn’t want to fight,” Davis said. “If he [Ennis] he fights the WBA champion [Abass Baraou]we might as well cancel it. I don’t want to hear anything about “Boots” anymore. If he doesn’t fight Bakhram, Vergil Ortiz or Xander Zayas.

Baraou (17-1, 9 KO) is a better fighter than WBO champion Xander Zayas. The way he performed in his recent 12-round unanimous decision defeat of WBA 154-pound interim champion Yoenis Tellez suggests he’s tougher than Zayas. If the shoe had been on the other foot, Xander couldn’t have done this to Cuban Tellez.

Davis: Boots vs. Vergil is 50-50

“I prefer him over Xander. I think it’s 50-50 between him and Vergil Ortiz because Vergil won’t be impressed with those combinations,” Davis said.

Last update: 13/10/2025

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Erik Morales Gives Fair Verdict on Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: “Who Will Win”

Published

on

Erik Morales delivers honest verdict on Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: “That’s who will win”

Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales, who is the same age as Floyd Mayweather, presented his version of the 49-year-old’s expected rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

The two pound-for-pound icons will face off in a professional competition on September 19, headlining the Netflix event at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

However, their second meeting seemed to be in jeopardy after Mayweather stated last month that it would be an exhibition match.

Pacquiao and his team have since stated that it will be a fully sanctioned fight, but we are still waiting for an official announcement.

Their first meeting took place in 2015 and earned Mayweather a unanimous decision victory in an event that quickly became known as the most lucrative boxing event of all time.

Shortly thereafter Pacquiao claimed he entered the welterweight fight with a shoulder injurybut he never had the opportunity to exact his revenge.

But now the 47-year-old hopes to break Mayweather’s 50-0 record after ending his nearly four-year hiatus from professional boxing last July.

But while the Filipino drew with Mario Barrios, the then-WBC welterweight champion, many suggested he and Mayweather shouldn’t be entering the ring at this stage of their lives.

One of them is Morales, who fought Pacquiao three times, winning the first meeting but losing the next two. He told Fight Hub TV that the rematch would be won by the Hall of Famer who turned down the fight the least.

“We’re not at the age to get into fights. But hey, it’ll be intriguing. Whoever arrives the least injured and a little faster, [will win]”

Ahead of any rematch with Pacquiao, Mayweather confirmed he would fight Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis on June 27.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Deontay Wilder Manager: Joshua’s fight ‘never was’

Published

on

Image: Deontay Wilder Manager: Joshua Fight ‘Never Was’

“You can’t be disappointed with something that never happened,” Finkel told Sky Sports. “Eddie never contacted us and Joshua obviously had no intention of fighting Deontay Wilder. Same venerable story, just novel date.”

The comments question Eddie Hearn’s recent suggestions that Anthony Joshua could face Wilder ahead of his planned clash with Tyson Fury in slow 2026.

Joshua is instead scheduled to face Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyad, ending any immediate speculation about the long-discussed clash with Wilder.

Just a few weeks ago, Eddie Hearn was here calling Wilder a warm-up fight for Joshua’s scheduled fight with Tyson Fury. This is a solemn marketing move. This keeps the fans engaged and gives the impression that AJ is willing to take on the most risky puncher in the league just to keep himself busy.

However, Shelly Finkel’s answer is fascinating. He firmly stated that there was “no reason” to be frustrated because no real approach was ever taken. If Hearn was solemn, the first step would have been to email or call Finkel. According to Wilder’s camp, such a thing never happened.

Instead of Wilder, Joshua is now officially scheduled to face the little-known Prenga. This move serves two purposes for Joshua’s camp: It is a much safer fight as Joshua rehabs from his car accident earlier this year. It also opens the door to a massive fight with Fury in slow 2026 without the risk of Wilder ruining a payday with one right hand.

This has been a pattern for years. We saw this in 2019 when uncontested talks failed, and again in 2023 when both were on the “Day of Reckoning” card but never actually paired up.

Wilder, who recently returned to the ring after a victory over Derek Chisora, also mentioned his interest in a future fight with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Finkel’s comments suggest that Joshua’s fight remains in familiar territory, being discussed publicly but never formally pursued behind the scenes.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Hall of Fame champion claims he would be the one to beat Terence Crawford: ‘I’m going to win’

Published

on

Hall of Fame champion says he would have been the man to beat Terence Crawford: “I’m going to win”

The star fighter, who has made an astonishing 15 defenses of his welterweight world title, supported himself in a fantastic showdown with Terence Crawford.

Many consider “Bud” to be one of the greatest welterweight champions of all time, considering his size undisputed triumph over Errol Spence Jr in 2023

He had previously won seven straight 147-pound world titles, all through stoppages, but he could only cement his position as top dog by dethroning Spence.

Not only did he defeat “The Truth” and win his three world titles, but Crawford secured a surprisingly one-sided defeat over nine rounds.

After that career-defining moment, the American became the undisputed three-division champion, moving up to 168 pounds to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

However, at welterweight, Crawford managed to produce some of his best performances, perhaps striking the perfect balance between being vigorous and impressively fit.

Another man who has had considerable success at 147 pounds is, of course, Felix Trinidad, who reigned as the IBF world champion for almost seven years.

Two of his greatest victories came against Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker, who both went on to create Hall of Fame careers in their own right.

It is therefore natural that “Tito” sees his chances in a direct fight with Crawford, saying: Fighting Hub TV that he would give “Bud” his only professional flaw.

“With all due respect to Crawford…Tito Trinidad – I will win.”

While no fighter has been able to answer Crawford’s mystery, it is equally safe and sound to say that the former five-division world champion has never faced someone like Trinidad.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending