Tim Bradley’s demand that Jaron “Boots” Ennis chase Canelo Alvarez ignores the special treatment Terence Crawford received. Crawford never earned the Canelo fight by defeating the leading contenders at 168 pounds. Turki Alalshikh delivered it directly to him.
“Why don’t you set your attention to damn Canelo Alvarez?” Bradley said in a social media video. “You went to go help him spar. He knows your ass. Why don’t you go after that fight right there? Go up to 168 pounds. You Crawford, right? Go up to 168 pounds and face Canelo Alvarez. Why don’t you challenge his ass instead of trying to challenge Crawford?”
Bradley portrays the weight jump as a test of courage. It would actually place Ennis in a division where he has no guaranteed reward waiting.
Crawford received a headliner spot against Israil Madrimov despite neither boxer having proven himself as a pay-per-view attraction. The event failed to generate strong PPV interest, but Turki continued supporting Crawford and secured the Canelo fight anyway.
Crawford did not have to face Osleys Iglesias, Christian Mbilli, Diego Pacheco, or another leading super middleweight. He scraped past Madrimov in his first fight at 154 pounds, then went directly to Canelo.
If Turki had required Crawford to defeat Iglesias first, the move would have been close to career suicide. Crawford would have faced a dangerous natural super middleweight without knowing if the enormous payday remained available.
Ennis would face that exact situation. Canelo has never shown any interest in fighting him. A move to 168 would leave Boots fighting naturally larger men without any commitment from Canelo. Nobody knows how many fights Canelo has left before retirement.
Alvarez would probably ignore Ennis in favor of fighters who bring established audiences from their own countries. Hamzah Sheeraz offers British support and greater international business potential. Ennis lacks Crawford’s résumé and the financial support that pushed Crawford to the front of the line.
Canelo also has little motivation to face another smaller fighter climbing through the divisions. Losing to Crawford damaged his legacy. Beating Ennis would earn limited credit, while another defeat against a former welterweight would be devastating.
Bradley wants Boots to follow a road Crawford never traveled. Turki handed Crawford the Canelo opportunity on a silver platter. Ennis would have to battle through 168 pounds for a fight that might never be offered.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/17 at 11:58 PM
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