Team Crawford coach Bernie Davis says Terence will fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis at 147 or 154 if promoter Eddie Hearn can raise the money to make it happen.
Can Hearn Afford Crawford?
Bernie doesn’t say how much Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) would want for a fight against Boots Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), but he’s rumored to want eight figures [$10-15 million] for all of his fights now.
For a risky match against Boots, it wouldn’t be a shock if Crawford’s price tag shot through the roof into the $20 million range, which only the Saudis could afford.
The Saudis could afford to come up with the sky-high asking price from Crawford, but would they be interested in staging this fight in their country? They seem to like the fighters from the higher-weight classes, and Crawford and Boots might be too small.
Hearn’s Hesitation: Crawford’s Unproven PPV Power
Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promotion likely wouldn’t be willing to put up that kind of money on a largely unproven Crawford, who has only been involved in one PPV fight that did big numbers against Errol
Spence. Many fans feel Spence was the reason for the success of that event, not Crawford. Hearn might not want to pay Crawford a tremendous amount of money unless he proves himself as a PPV draw against another fighter without Spence being the one to attract the buys.
Terence is a good fighter, but he’s never done a great job marketing his fights the way some fighters are more engaging, like Ryan Garcia and Keith Thurman.
Crawford’s past PPV fights:
- Errol Spence vs. Crawford: 700,000 [Showtime]
- Crawford vs. Shawn Porter: 135,000 [ESPN]
- Crawford vs. Amir Khan: 150,000 [ESPN]
- Crawford vs. Viktor Postol: 50,000 [HBO]
Coach Bernie’s Shots at Ennis
“Let’s go. We catch a title at 154, and then he comes up to 154 because they going to pay,” said Bernie ‘Tha Boxer’ Davis to the MillCity Boxing YouTube channel when asked if Terence Crawford would be willing to fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis if the Saudis come up with the money for a fight between them at 154.
“I think if they come up with the money for him to fight [Boots], he going to fight, especially at 154. The guy is huge; he’s a big guy. If they want it at 147, they’re going to have to pay. They’re going to have to make it worth the kid’s [Crawford] while. We definitely ain’t scared.
“We can win a championship at 154, and if Eddie Hearn wants to make a fight with Boots, then they can make it happen. Everybody wants the fight with Boots [and Crawford], but I’m not sold that this kid [Boots] wants this fight.
“I don’t see no effort on this kid’s part to try and make the fight. If he [Hearn] can come up with the money, then he can probably get Crawford to fight.
“He’s the #1 contender, he beat a champion, but let’s see how he do in these fights. Let’s see how he progresses in the fights,” said Bernie about Boots Ennis needing to prove himself in his eyes.
