When Bryant Jennings steps into the ring to face Joel Caudle on Saturday night, he will do so as an energetic competitor for the first time in more than five years.
In July 2019, Jennings lost a unanimous decision to Joe Joyce at London’s O2 Arena after 12 rounds. He has remained inactive ever since, a fighter all but forgotten as the heavyweight division was largely bought out by Saudi Arabia and held together while the demand for Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk grew.
In those five years, Fury and Usyk finally fought after being postponed twice, Francis Ngannou was handsomely rewarded as a heavyweight title contender, Deontay Wilder’s career as a world title contender was ended and, most recently, Daniel Dubois was elevated to IBF champion status.
Jennings, who maintains he defeated Joyce in 2019, also saw Joyce pick up his best win over Joseph Parker before falling to Zhilei Zhang twice, and Jared Anderson emerged as the American heavyweight hope in equally dramatic fashion as Martin Bakole threatened Anderson’s prospects.
Speculation about fantasy fights suddenly looking possible has become as much of a fixture as competitions between fighters that are dwindling in numbers. Joyce’s recent loss to Derek Chisora – Jennings was in London to support Chisora prepare and offer support to a fighter he didn’t expect to still be energetic – has helped the 39-year-old American see significant opportunity in a comeback.
Jennings insists he’s not doing this because he needs the money, and that he’s never considered himself a retiree. Instead, he plans to gradually rebuild his standing and potentially return to the level he reached when he dealt Mike Perez his first career loss, and also tested himself in fights with Wladimir Klitschko and the undefeated Luis Ortiz.
“I tried to make it as peaceful as possible because it’s been a while, so I wanted to make it quick,” he told BoxingScene of Saturday’s fight at The Met Philadelphia in his hometown.
“My understanding of my physical abilities; my understanding of the openness, still, of the boxing game; the lack of progress in terms of the up-to-date era that’s actually taking over. We’ve got quite a few up-to-date names, like younger guys, but it’s still the Furys, the Usyks, [Anthony] Joshuas, Chisoras. They’re in my class and still the most competitive guys in the heavyweight division.
“I would assume I’m in that lineup too. If it was a group of 20-year-olds or 25-year-olds running the game and bringing the older guys out – but it’s not, and I still have the ability and the physicality to be able to compete.
“I made it clear, [returning] for some time, but only when it was actually planned [that it started to take place]. I introduced myself to a couple of promoters; they didn’t seem interested. “Okay, I’ll just do my own thing.” I would say about a year ago – time flies – and then I started working on something.
“You have to take into account two and a half years and the effects of the pandemic, and that’s why I pulled out, because they tried to force me to take the vaccine. I had to pull out two weeks before the fight. I just had to say, ‘I’m out.’ It’s not right – you shouldn’t take someone’s fight away just because of the vaccine. It took a while for everything to get back to normal. Now that it’s normal – now that everything is working again – I’m starting over.”
It was in 2021, in a rematch in Canada with Oscar Rivas at bridgeweight, that Jennings’ plans to fight were abandoned. He is still set to compete at bridgeweight as well as heavyweight – it’s at heavyweight that he’ll fight the underrated 34-year-old Caudle – and is instead prioritizing the activity he believes he’ll need to get back to in order to be close to his best.
Similarly significant is the fact that in his absence, fellow Philadelphian Jaron “Boots” Ennis has emerged as the world’s best welterweight. Ennis’ promoters, Matchroom, have made no secret of their desire to showcase him in his hometown; Jennings is trained by Ennis’ father and trainer Derek “Bozy” Ennis; there’s potential for him to spar with Jarrell Miller, a fighter who benefits from Saudi Arabia’s investment in the heavyweight division, and, more importantly, he has a chance to fight in promotions of a stature that Philadelphia hasn’t had in a long time.
“If I come back, I’ll make more money, but it’s not like, ‘Oh my God, I’m fighting because I need crumbs,'” he said before the Rodney Rice-promoted game. “No. But you have ambition and you understand what your bread and butter is, in terms of what’s really going to make you money. It doesn’t have to be desperation that you’re playing for money. It doesn’t have to be a moment of desperation where you say, ‘I need money.’ I’m well-off, but we can always operate money as long as our tools work; as long as our brains work; as long as we’re working, we can always operate some extra money.
“In the beginning I was supposed to be involved in a lot of these things, [Saudi Arabia’s ambitions]. Covid has really mixed up a lot of different things. But if the fight isn’t in Saudi Arabia, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to fight.
“It’s there [fighting in Philadelphia] it’s something very engaging. Jaron Ennis – his father is my coach. It’s a very close situation that makes sense and it’s not something I would have to go to someone else outside for. I’m basically at home.
“[I want to] get to work; they’re throwing a lot of money now. They’re throwing a lot of money, and I’m still so attached; no matter what, it’s challenging to get away from it.
“A quick win – I don’t think this fight here is a real ring-ruster. This one is for exposure; just getting the feel back; getting in the ring and feeling that feeling. ‘Wow, I’m really here.’ I think it takes away the stage fright or the anxiety or whatever you normally feel when you get in the ring. Or maybe the next fight is a few rounds, the atmosphere of the sport.
“One month; two months” [for that next fight]. Whatever. All these fights once a year – that killed a lot of games. “The next time we see this guy will be March.” Damn it, I don’t want that.
“I understand that the fee that has to be paid, [fighting] can take away a person’s lack of work ethic. I’ve seen people go downhill even faster [than Joyce while I’ve been inactive]. Five years is a long time for someone to go downhill; I’ve seen people go downhill faster. If you don’t take care of yourself; if you don’t take care of your body; if you don’t work challenging; if you’re not disciplined, these are the things you can fall victim to.
“[Assisting Chisora] inspired me to appreciate the love that he gets, the identity of his career and how much respect and love he got. That fight was good enough to leave. I understand he wants to fight two more, but that was the mark of his career to say, ‘You know what? No matter what happens, he finished it powerful.’ He doesn’t have to fight another fight.”
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