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Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis: The Road to Superstardom Has Been 154 Years

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Image: Shawn Porter Doubts Terence Crawford will Face Boots Ennis

Jaron “Boots” Ennis has a lot of options available to him at 154 for critical fights that will augment his popularity. He hasn’t said whether he’ll stay at 147 or move up, but it’s believed he’ll listen to his promoter and stay at welterweight to collect all the belts.

Some fans believe the 27-year-old Ennis is a coward and is afraid to move up to 154 because he is afraid of getting beaten by Crawford or another killer in the division.

Ennis should move up to 154 and focus on these fighters:

Terence Crawford
Sebastian Fundor
Errol Spence
Tim Tszyu
Vergil Ortiz Jr
Israil Madrimov
Serhii Bohachuk
Erickson Lubin

At least seven of them would neat it up if they moved to 147 and took the three remaining belt holders, Eimantas Stanionis, Mario Barrios and Brian Norman Jr.

Welterweight Stagnation

It’s a delicate group with those titles, so Ennis doesn’t gain much by staying at 147 to unify. Boots Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants him to stay at welterweight, believing he’ll accomplish something worthwhile by becoming the undisputed champion.

I don’t see it that way. It’s a waste of time because the three guys Boots is going to fight for the belts are not popular and are not well known to the average boxing fan. They’ve never heard of Stanionis, Barrios and Norman Jr.

“You saw his ability to seamlessly switch between combinations. The way he came at Avanesyan, took his power, took it on the chin, wasn’t afraid of it at all and kept working. The kid is brilliant,” said Tim Bradley. Probox TV about Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

“That’s the reason nobody wants to fight Boots Ennis, because they see exactly what I see. He’s a problem for everybody in the division, and that’s why everybody kept running away from him.”

Crawford’s Fear

Crawford has already said he doesn’t want to fight Boots Ennis. But he still uses the excuse that he wants to get paid and build his legacy by fighting Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. But if money is what powers Crawford’s engine, why is he fighting Madrimov?

The money Crawford will get in the fight is nowhere near what a fight with Boots Ennis would generate. It looks like sheer fear on Crawford’s part, choosing Madrimov while avoiding Boots.

Crawford is elderly, 37, so you can leave him alone and let him make his selections based on whether he deserves it. It’s kind of like what Canelo does at the end of his career.

“I saw the desire to finish the fight and that killer instinct,” boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi said of Boots Ennis. “A guy like Crawford knows how to control the distance a little bit. I saw a lack of creativity in the way Jaron closes the distance. A guy who forces you to fight in close has to be a little more original. But that could also be because Jaron hasn’t had to work in close.”

Ennis understands that if he boxed Avaneysan and played it sheltered, fans would criticize him for being uninteresting and his popularity would not augment. So he was willing to put himself in danger to be entertaining.

“Avanesyan is right there. Just get to him and start throwing combinations and you’ll be in the pocket,” Malignaggi said.

Ennis had no choice but to hit Avanesyan because he was coming straight at him and he’s not a runner. Boots doesn’t employ all the tricks we’ve seen from Crawford for most of his career, like moving around the ring, throwing a lot of straight punches, and doing a lot of the same things Shakur Stevenson does on defense.

It’s a different era now, and fighters can’t afford to do that without damaging their marketability. Crawford fought that way, but it slowed his career. He only became popular last year in his fight with Spence.

“I personally would like to see him unify at 147. It’s an open division. I see him beating all the other champions and being able to unify that division,” Chris Algieri said of Ennis. “He’s been out of the ring for a year. He needs to keep busy. Now he’s got a promotional arm in Matchroom that can keep him busy.”

Algeria’s conservative approach

The ultra-conservative approach Algieri wants Boots Ennis to take would be poison to his career, and he would be wasting his time if he went down that route. Again, the three welterweight titleholders are completely unknown to the casual boxing fan.

If they don’t know who these guys are, Boots has nothing to gain by fighting them. The die-hard fans would be content, but Ennis would put his career on hold and have nothing to show for the time and effort he put into it.

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The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

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Rocha vs Curiel

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.

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George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

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.

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

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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