Jaron “Boots” Ennis has begged and pleaded with the rest of the upper echelon of the welterweight division to step foot inside the ring against him.
Yet, despite calling out the likes of Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, neither have paid the Philadelphia native much attention as they continue to negotiate an undisputed showdown for later on this year.
Although Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs) would love nothing more than to begin his own championship run, the 25-year-old isn’t interested in waiting idly by while Crawford and Spence battle it out for welterweight supremacy.
Considering his lofty standing, Ennis has now turned his attention toward former unified 147-pound titlist, Keith Thurman. The Clearwater, Florida, product has shown very little interest in placating Ennis’s wishes. He has, however, warned Ennis to stray away from his continual attempts to antagonize him.
Ultimately, while Thurman believes that he would be simply too much for the up-and-coming welterweight contender, Malik Scott, on the other hand, is convinced that Ennis would chew Thurman up and spit him out.
“I think right now, Boots stops Keith Thurman,” said Scott to a group of reporters. “And Keith Thurman is beyond a good fighter.”
Thurman, 33, has struggled with inactivity throughout the latter stages of his career. Since coming up short against Manny Pacquiao in July of 2019, the former unified champion remained out of the ring for approximately two and half years as he battled injuries.
In the end, Thurman would eventually complete his long and uneventful rehab assignment. In his first fight on his comeback trail, Thurman easily registered a unanimous decision victory against fringe contender Mario Barrios. In doing so, Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) has begun angling for his own title shot.
As for Ennis, he’s quietly gone about his business while leaving a trail of welterweight bodies in his wake. Most recently, the budding star dismantled Custio Clayton on May 14th, stopping the normally durable contender in the second round.
On paper, Scott shakes his head in approval as he sifts through the names currently plastered to Thurman’s resume. Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Josesito Lopez and a slew of former champions and current contenders have all fallen victim to Thurman’s mind-numbing power. Still, even with Scott revering the former champion and holding him in high regard, the former heavyweight contender turned trainer, is simply a firm believer in what Ennis brings to the table.
“When I give my opinion on Keith Thurman, I respect you bro. You’ve done way more than me and so many others. My opinion is strictly from a crafts standpoint. I believe Boots would stop Keith Thurman in the second half of the fight. It’s not because Keith Thurman is a bad fighter, it’s just that, that’s how good Boots is to me.”
