Crawford Vs. Boots: A New Target After Canelo Deal Falls Through

Turki Al-Sheikh has given up on his efforts to make a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford for September. He will now attempt to put together a Crawford vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in 2025.

Mike Coppinger reports that Turki has “suspended efforts” to get the Canelo-Crawford clash made after Canelo chose to face Jake Paul on May 3rd. Turki now wants to make the Crawford-Boots clash this year. That fight is one that Boots Ennis and fans have wanted, but Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has been reluctant to take.

Turki’s Shift

Coppinger doesn’t say why Turki chose to give up on making the fight between Crawford and Canelo for September. There are rumors that Turki lost interest in making the Canelo-Crawford fight because he did not want to put on an event that would bring in fewer PPV numbers than the Canelo vs. Jake Paul event in May.

Perhaps Terence will want to fight Boots now because the alternatives at 154 are brutal. The division is filled with sharks that would feast on an aging fighter like Crawford.

Getting the 37-year-old Crawford to agree to a fight against the young killer Boots Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) could be difficult for Turki. If Crawford insists on only fighting Canelo for the payday, he won’t like the idea of a smaller purse against Boots.

All the Mayweather tactics Crawford and his trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre plan to use against Canelo will not work against Boots. He’s good at cutting off the ring and has had a lot of practice lately with his two fights against Karen Chukhadzhian.

Ennis is much more offensive-minded than Madrimov, and he could ruin Terence’s unbeaten record. If he’s still hoping in the back of his mind that he can get the Canelo payday in 2026, Boots could spoil that dream.

It’s unclear whether Turki will revisit trying to negotiate the Canelo vs. Crawford fight in 2026. If he’s holding back this year because he doesn’t want to have a smaller event, fans will still compare that fight even if it’s pushed into next year.

Crawford is a good fighter, but his popularity and social media reach are light years below Jake’s. A fight between Terence and Canelo wouldn’t come close to what Canelo-Paul would do on PPV.

IBF welterweight champion Ennis will fight WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis in a unification bout on April 12th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After that fight, Boots is free to face Crawford.

.@Turki_alalshikh is suspending efforts to finalize contracts for Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford in September in the wake of Alvarez’s novelty bout with Jake Paul, sources tell ESPN. Alalshikh will instead look to make Crawford-“Boots” Ennis later this year. Alalshikh offered…

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025