Former Champ Reveals Surprising Edge After Sparring Crawford and Ennis: "You Wouldn't Expect It"

Jaron 'Boots' Ennis wants to fight the best in his weight class, especially Terence Crawford. The 27-year-old from Philadelphia holds the IBF Welterweight title and aims to prove himself against top competition.

Crawford recently moved up from welterweight to super-welterweight, leaving behind his undisputed champion status. This move allowed Ennis to grab the IBF title. But Ennis still wants to face Crawford and might even move up to 154 lbs to make it happen.

Brian Norman Jr, the WBO Welterweight World Champion, has sparred with both fighters. He shared his thoughts on a potential Crawford-Ennis matchup.

"I can't really give a firm prediction on it but if I had to pick somebody I'd go with Terence Crawford. Simply because, as you can see they are identical for the most part, switch hitters and things of that nature, but Crawford just been in the game for a longer time. Been in those big fights, a whole lot more bigger fights than Boots. I have to go with Terence Crawford. But on the eye test, [Boots] is right there with Terence."

Norman Jr points out that both fighters are switch hitters and similar in many ways. He gives Crawford the edge due to his experience in big fights. However, he notes that Ennis looks just as good as Crawford when you watch them fight.

Ennis has a mandatory fight coming up against Karen Chukhadzhian, who he beat in 2023 for the interim belt. If he wins, a unification bout with Norman Jr could be next. Both teams have shown interest in making this fight happen.

Meanwhile, Crawford's team says they'll only accept a fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. But Alvarez won't talk about that until after his September 14 fight against Edgar Berlanga.

The welterweight and super-welterweight divisions are buzzing with potential matchups. Fans will have to wait and see which fights actually come to fruition in the coming months.