Trainer Stephen Edwards doubts Jaron “Boots” Ennis will get any recognition if he beats 39-40-year-old Terence Crawford a year or two after he moves up to 160 pounds.
Building shoes, losing Crawford
Ennis (35-0, 31 KO) still fights at junior middleweight and that’s not to say he wants to move up to 160 or 168 right now. He’ll have to do that soon to catch up to Crawford (42-0, 31 KO) before he retires.
“It’s so far. ‘Boots’ has to beat four undefeated fighters. “Bakhram,” said Stephen Edwards MillCity Boxingdiscussing the unlikely chance of a fight between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Terence Crawford.
Stefan is right. Ennis still fights at 154, and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants him to pristine up the division before moving up to 160 pounds to test Crawford. It could take Ennis two to three years to win all four junior middleweight titles. By then, Crawford will be gone, or if he is, there won’t be much left.
Built-in age excuse
“I just think it’s too far unless Turki and Terence come up with a brilliant plan to get a fight [with ‘Boots’]. I just don’t know how we could do it. If we succeed, Crawford will now be 38 years elderly. He would have been 39 or 40 years elderly. “I don’t know if ‘Boots’ would get any credit for that,” Edwards said.
Ennis won’t be credited with beating Crawford if he’s 39 or 40 years elderly. The excuse for age will be to nullify ‘Boots’ victory. If Crawford faces one of the 168-pound sharks like Osleys Iglesias or Christian Mbilli, he will likely lose. He would be worthless to Ennis after this and considered broken, which is largely true. He didn’t look good against Canelo, and certainly not against Israil Madrimov.
Millions of Turki could save it
It must have been Turki who made the huge offer to lure Crawford into fighting Ennis. I think Crawford would want between $50 million and $150 million to fight “Boots,” even though he’s not as popular as Canelo Alvarez.
Terence just watched Canelo make $150 million and may feel like he took his place as the Face of Boxing with the victory. It confused him, thinking that a win would turn him into the up-to-date Canelo financially. If that were the case, Dmitry Bivol would be the huge money man in the sport, as he defeated Canelo in 2022 in much more impressive fashion than Crawford.
It’s a fight that won’t attract more viewers than the 41 million global viewers of Canelo vs. Crawford on Netflix. Ennis isn’t a huge enough name yet. So it would all come down to whether Turki wants this fight enough to overpay Crawford.
Judging by his last two performances against Canelo and Israil Madrimov, he is not worth $50-100 million. These were the efforts of fighters earning fifty thousand. For Crawford to make that kind of money, Turki would have to like him a lot and it would take more of a fight.
Since he has no interest in fighting him, he is more focused on getting down to 160 pounds to win the title for legacy purposes.
Crawford chases Adames
Bud just wants to win a sixth-division world title and get a nice payday by fighting WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames. He is the one Crawford has a history with from sparring sessions where he supposedly beat Adames.
“I don’t know if it’s possible because ‘Boots’ would have to leave 54 and there’s a lot of work to do at 154. Crawford would have to come out with 168,” Edwards said.
Time is not on Boots’ side
Ennis cannot fight Crawford unless he tells his promoter Eddie Hearn that he has no interest in staying at 154 pounds and spending the next year or two building his resume. It’s a waste of time. He’ll still be two divisions away from Crawford, and the age excuse would be even more.
Chris Williams is a senior writer for Boxing News 24covering sports since 2013 and reporting on major events around the world. His relationships range from established champions to hungry prospects vying for recognition. Over the years, Chris has worked with many of boxing’s top brass, earning respect for his insightful analysis and insider perspective.
Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.
Chris Billam-Smith fights Cheavon Clarke over 10 rounds tonight on Sky Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US. The former WBO cruiserweight champion headlines Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, November 7.
Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates
Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.
● LIVE
Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke
2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports
Chris Billam-Smith0
AFTER0ROUNDS
Chev Clarke0
ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke
Undercard Results
Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.
Abdulah dropped Palma with a short left hook in the opening minute, then used his jab and compact hooks to catch him coming forward. Palma fought his way back into the contest, landing heavy right hands in the fourth round that forced Abdulah to clinch.
A well-timed check left hook sent Palma down again in the sixth, slowing his attack and giving Abdulah more room to dictate the action. Abdulah worked behind his jab and continued finding the left hook over the final two rounds to secure the victory.
Vinnie Kemp (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Liam McElhinney (0-3) with a barrage of body shots at 2:33 of the opening round in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout. Making his professional debut, Kemp charged forward from the opening bell, throwing hard punches and goading McElhinney.
The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.
McElhinney bent forward and covered up against the ropes under the sustained body attack, prompting the referee to wave it off. Kemp’s aggression gave him a quick debut victory, although McElhinney offered little to test him.
When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?
Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.
The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.
Main-card broadcast:
🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT
Preliminary coverage:
🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT
🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT
Sky Sports broadcasts the main card in the UK, with prelims available on its digital platforms. Paramount+ carries the prelims and main card in the US through a subscription, without a separate PPV charge.
Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event
Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.
Billam-Smith beat Ryan Rozicki in June, with the Canadian’s corner withdrawing him after seven rounds of their Bournemouth contest. Clarke endured a rougher route on the same bill, recovering from two knockdowns before stopping Jack Massey.
Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.
Clarke’s second amateur victory came in the 2016 national elite championship final. Beating Billam-Smith in the paid ranks would add a former world champion to his professional record and strengthen his case for bigger fights.
Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.
Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.
Zuffa Boxing 12 Undercard Results
Confirmed results and finishing details will be added alongside the matchups below as the bouts conclude.
Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.
Chris Billam-Smith fights Cheavon Clarke over 10 rounds tonight on Sky Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US. The former WBO cruiserweight champion headlines Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, November 7.
Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates
Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.
● LIVE
Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke
2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports
Chris Billam-Smith0
AFTER0ROUNDS
Chev Clarke0
ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke
Undercard Results
Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.
Abdulah dropped Palma with a short left hook in the opening minute, then used his jab and compact hooks to catch him coming forward. Palma fought his way back into the contest, landing heavy right hands in the fourth round that forced Abdulah to clinch.
A well-timed check left hook sent Palma down again in the sixth, slowing his attack and giving Abdulah more room to dictate the action. Abdulah worked behind his jab and continued finding the left hook over the final two rounds to secure the victory.
Vinnie Kemp (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Liam McElhinney (0-3) with a barrage of body shots at 2:33 of the opening round in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout. Making his professional debut, Kemp charged forward from the opening bell, throwing hard punches and goading McElhinney.
The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.
McElhinney bent forward and covered up against the ropes under the sustained body attack, prompting the referee to wave it off. Kemp’s aggression gave him a quick debut victory, although McElhinney offered little to test him.
When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?
Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.
The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.
Main-card broadcast:
🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT
🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT
Preliminary coverage:
🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT
🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT
Sky Sports broadcasts the main card in the UK, with prelims available on its digital platforms. Paramount+ carries the prelims and main card in the US through a subscription, without a separate PPV charge.
Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event
Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.
Billam-Smith beat Ryan Rozicki in June, with the Canadian’s corner withdrawing him after seven rounds of their Bournemouth contest. Clarke endured a rougher route on the same bill, recovering from two knockdowns before stopping Jack Massey.
Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.
Clarke’s second amateur victory came in the 2016 national elite championship final. Beating Billam-Smith in the paid ranks would add a former world champion to his professional record and strengthen his case for bigger fights.
Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.
Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.
Zuffa Boxing 12 Undercard Results
Confirmed results and finishing details will be added alongside the matchups below as the bouts conclude.
Tim Tszyu seeks to become Australia’s third multi-divisional boxing world champion when he competes for Erislandy Lara’s WBA middleweight title next month, and ahead of the action, trainer Robert Garcia has offered his thoughts on the fight.
Tszyu lost his WBO super-welterweight title in a defeat to Sebastian Fundora back in 2024 and twice failed to reclaim 154lb honours, both against Bakhram Murtazaliev and in a rematch with Fundora.
Since then, the Aussie has stepped up to middleweight and scored a career-best win over Errol Spence Jr earlier this yearand now, the 32-year-old could join lead trainer Jeff Fenech and Liam Paro as his nation’s third two-weight world champion, if he can trump 43-year-old.
Speaking with ProBox TVRobert Garcia, who trains a potential future Tszyu opponent in Vergil Ortiz, admitted that he is leaning towards the home fighter, but noted that Lara will not be phased by competing in the challenger’s backyard.
“We can probably lean towards Tim Tsyzu because he is fighting at home, in front of his hometown, but Lara is not the fighter that brings in a lot of fans following him.
“He doesn’t have a following, he is not one that is going to sell out arenas, so even if it is in the United States, it is likely that most of the people are going to be [there] for Tim Tszyu because Australians do travel and Tim Tszyu has a lot of fans.
“For Lara, going to Australia is like going to Las Vegas or going to New York because he never has that following anyways. Anywhere he goes, he is going to be against the crowd. So, I think for him it is going to be one of those performances where it doesn’t make a difference if he is going to Tim Tsyzu’s hometown.”
Tszyu-Lara takes place at the Cbus Super Stadium in Queensland, Australia on Sunday 13 December.
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