Notes from the Ennis-Crowley Press Conference

The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is home to the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers. It's the premier indoor entertainment venue in the city. Walking through the relatively empty arena on Friday for the Jaron "Boots" Ennis-Cody Crowley press conference, one thought was rushing through my mind: How are they going to fill this place?  

As storied as Philadelphia is in boxing, with its dozens of champions, the  Rocky mystique, and a gym culture that ranks as one of the best in the world, what hasn't happened over the last two decades in the city is success on the big-time boxing stage. Sure, there have been a few attempts. Beterbiev-Gvozdyk was there, Tevin Farmer made a hometown title defense (at the time he was co-promoted by Matchroom Boxing/Eddie Hearn), and Danny Garcia also had a homecoming fight. Yet none of those events was a huge box office success. Furthermore, they took place at the Liacouras Center, a smaller arena, which had been scaled for 8,000-10,000 and not the Wells Fargo Center, which can seat 20,000 comfortably. 

Ennis, Hearn and Crowley at the press conference
Photo courtesy of Andrew Maclean/Matchroom

But Hearn believes that things will be different this time. He also thinks that with Ennis he has a future pound-for-pound level talent. Hearn announced that the ticket presale for the bout, which is an Ennis welterweight title defense and a homecoming fight, sold 4,500 tickets. 

Hearn also wants to signal to the boxing world that Ennis should be a superstar. And this is where superstars belong: in big arenas, trying to capture the imagination of a larger sporting audience. 

Hearn can be many things, but he is at heart a promoter, a dreamer. He believes in big events, whether it's at Wembley or Saudi Arabia or Las Vegas or at Cowboys stadium. He pointed to the success that Devin Haney had in selling over 15,000 tickets in a homecoming fight in San Francisco against Regis Prograis, and San Francisco is another city that had not recently had a lot of success as a destination for big fights. Hearn acknowledged that he could have taken a safer route by staging Ennis-Crowley at the Liacouras Center, but he's not interested in safe at the moment; he wants to make a splash. 

***

Ennis-Crowley is an unusual title fight in that a year ago Ennis was languishing as a mandatory challenger waiting for a big opponent to fight him (it never came) and Crowley was struggling to gain momentum in his professional career and in his personal life. Crowley is an atypical success story. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Crowley entered the professional ranks with few assets. A number of his early professional bouts took place in out-of-the-way locales such as Oklahoma City; Norfolk, Virginia; and the Maryland State Fairgrounds. He ultimately returned to Peterborough, Canada where he promoted many of his own shows.

Crowley doesn't have a big punch and lacks other athletic skills that jump off the screen. In his 22 professional fights, he has only nine stoppages, and much of this was against pedestrian opposition in his early fights. But he kept winning. Belatedly, six years into his pro career, he got an opportunity on a PBC card in 2020 and won. Since then, he has appeared on PBC-branded shows, but the fight against Ennis will only be his fifth fight in the last four years. 

There are reasons for those activity gaps. His dad committed suicide and Crowley had to overcome significant mental health concerns in the aftermath. He had a double eye surgery (always a bit of a worrying sign). He also had a problem with his former management. 

On Friday, Crowley was joined by Anthony Girges, his new manager, on stage. Girges was brilliant during the Q&A in the press conference, defending his fighter and riling up Team Ennis. It looked like he had been in the game for a dozen years. But in speaking to Girges after the press conference, he admitted that Crowley is his first fighter and that he's new to boxing management; he's flying by the seat of his pants.

Crowley sees himself as a winner. He mixed in the "aw shucks happy to be there" vibes with full confidence that he will be successful. He wanted to fight Ennis, even though other champs at 147 including Eimantas Stanionis and Mario Barrios (who has an interim belt) could have been easier fights to make and perhaps easier fights in the ring. He believes that Boots is the best at 147 and that's why he wanted to face him in the ring. 

Cerebral during his interviews, Crowley can be philosophical about himself and boxing as a whole. It's not quite clear where he will go, but he gets there. He'll drop in a word like "manifestation" and discuss the illusions of professional boxing, especially as it relates to the sanctioning bodies. He fully realizes that it's a game to get a title shot. Talent is only part of the story. And that's something that Boots, who waited years for high-level opponents, could attest to. So much about boxing is who or what is behind the curtain. Who has the right promoter? The right management? The right connections with the sanctioning bodies? It's an aspect of the sport that few are willing to discuss publicly, but Crowley held no reluctance on such matters on Friday. 

***

Boots Ennis was asked if he was nervous about the homecoming fight and he laughed, almost dismissing the question. Boots has been around the sport his whole life. He had two older brothers who were successful professional fighters. But as good as Derek (24-5) and Farah (22-2) were throughout their careers, Boots was the one thought to be special. As an amateur, there was a huge buzz about him in Philadelphia. During his early career, he was selling out Philadelphia club shows with standing-room-only audiences. Philly fight fans might not agree on much, but seemingly all acknowledged Boots' special talent.   

“Listen, there’s really no pressure on me," he said on Friday. "I’ve been in this game since I was a baby. There’s no pressure. It’s normal for me. My brothers have been at the top and I’ve seen all this stuff before. This is like being at home in my house right now. It’s natural for me and it’s normal." And while all of that might sound like the right thing to say, Boots' nonchalance was clear. He has expected this from himself. Like Crowley, he has manifested it. When Errol Spence or Terence Crawford wouldn't give him a shot, he found another way. 

Photo courtesy of Andrew Maclean/Matchroom

At 26 years old and featuring a record of 31-0 (28 KOs), Boots is squarely in his athletic prime. He has an unusual combination of athleticism, power and ring smarts. But what Boots had lacked, and much of this was his own doing, was a big push behind him. Boots' father and trainer, Bozy, had rejected the advances of bigger promoters and Boots spent much of his career promoted by Cameron Dunkin, a legendary talent scout and manager, but someone who didn't have the stable or juice to help Boots land bigger fights. 

Boots is now with Matchroom, and he has the platform, the money behind him and the potential future opponents to ascend to the higher ranks in the sport. He will now have the opportunity to test himself consistently against top opposition. There will be no more excuses or "woulda, coulda, shoulda." Boots can now make of his career what he will. 

But I'd certainly feel better if his dad didn't say "we never watch tape of our opponents," seemingly unbothered by what Crowley could offer in the ring. Of course, Bozy also called Crowley a good fighter, and expected him to bring the best out of Boots. So maybe Bozy has seen Crowley fight before; press conference games are nothing new.

***

The press conference started late, and Hearn met with the media prior to the start of the event. He held court for well over 30 minutes as various media members pushed their microphones, phones and video cameras in front of his face. Observing from the back, it was impressive to watch Hearn navigate from topic to topic: "What do you make of Ryan Garcia's positive test?" "Could you see Boots fighting Crawford next year?" "What's Canelo going to do next?" "Is Conor Benn able to fight right now?" He didn't miss a beat.

I'm not sure there's a better promoter in the sport at that part of the job: working the media. I've seen Hearn after a fight card answer questions for hours. He never seems to tire from interacting with the media. He gives people their chance. He relishes the back-and-forth and he can be a really persuasive salesman. Sure, he can spin, but it's also his job to spin. It's the media's job to balance a statement given to them with a potential greater truth, especially if there may be daylight between the two. 

Matchroom and Hearn in particular have been a mixed bag since they entered the American boxing market. On one hand, they've been involved in some huge events with Canelo. They have cultivated talents such as Bam Rodriguez. Some of their U.S.-based prospects such as Raymond Ford and Diego Pacheco have developed into real talents. They've also provided platforms for smaller-weight legends such as Roman Gonzalez and Juan Estrada. 

But they also threw around a lot of money for fighters who didn't move the needle, such as Danny Jacobs, Maurice Hooker, Tevin Farmer and Demetrius Andrade to name a few. They entered the market with hundreds of millions to spend and their initial foray wasn't a total success by any measure. Yes, they have gained an important foothold in the market. They have become one of the key players, but they have fallen far short of anything resembling dominance, which was one of their stated goals.

Hearn believes that the Ennis signing (in which discussions had been off an on for over five years) is a vital step for his company in America. Since signing Boots, Hearn said that several pound-for-pound-level fighters in the U.S. have contacted him, and he expects to sign a few more over the next year. 

And whether that's true or wishful thinking, Hearn is happy to have another major chip in the U.S. market. Between the lines, he admits to some past missteps. He acknowledged on Friday that he only wants to make signings who will or can move the needle for the sport and his company. But will there be more big names after Boots? Will it be a trickle of top fighters following suit, a geyser, or just empty words from a promoter?   

One thing I'm certain of is that we won't know the answer immediately. But there's always intrigue in the sport. And even in a sparsely filled press conference on a Friday in Philadelphia, there was a lot of it. The major players who were there, the fighters, the managers, the promoter, all recognized that Boots-Crowley could be a significant step to accomplishing their long-held goals, to conquering. A lot will be on the line. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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Opinions and Observations: Smith, Ennis, Stanionis, Ancajas

When Joe Smith Jr. defeated Eleider Alvarez last year, the quality of his performance demonstrated a metamorphosis in his career. No longer just a crude banger, Smith outboxed an excellent boxer. He worked off the jab and used angles and purposeful footwork to set up shots. Initially offering little more than heavy hands and desire early in his career, now he had finally become a well-schooled fighter.  

On Saturday, Smith had the opportunity to win a vacant light heavyweight belt against Maxim Vlasov, and none of his recent refinements made the trip to Tulsa. From the first moment of the fight, he was winging wild power shots and often missing badly, looking like a guy having a bar fight at two in the morning. His jab was non-existent. He recklessly squared up to throw punches, which created easy target practice for Vlasov. In addition, Smith's feet didn't seem under him. He was having balance issues during large portions of the fight.  

Smith (left) tries to defend a Vlasov right hand
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams

Ultimately, Smith's poor form can be attributed to two factors: He thought he would knock out Vlasov with ease, or he didn't train properly (of course these two things could be related). Vlasov recently had COVID and perhaps there was a belief that he would be less than 100% for the fight. In addition, Smith just got married and naturally that change can lead to a break from tried-and-true habits. But perhaps Smith was believing his headlines a little too much after knocking out Alvarez.   

Vlasov started the fight completely prepared for his opponent. He was in-and-out, side-to-side, never in one place for too long. But he wasn't running; he was always near Smith, so he could land from unpredictable angles and counter when Smith missed. Vlasov didn't try to load up with shots. He mostly featured "touch" right hands, but he did mix in some more punishing uppercuts and venomous crosses as the fight continued. And he was having so much success early in the fight that he was even backing up Smith, a successful example of bullying the bully. 

Until the final third of the fight, Smith often looked befuddled in the ring. But it must be said that there were a number of rounds where Smith was getting comprehensively outboxed and then he would land a straight right to the head or a body shot that would hurt Vlasov so significantly that Maxim would stop throwing punches. Vlasov had a poor poker face during those moments; everyone watching knew how badly affected he was. These rounds made for some interesting scoring decisions in that Vlasov was very much fighting his fight, but Smith would land big punches – a case of ring generalship vs. clean, effective punching.  

Smith closed the fight well. Whereas his big shots connected sporadically throughout the first half of the fight, by the end the heavy artillery was landing far more frequently. Vlasov was significantly hurt in the 11th round, but a rabbit punch allowed him to take a lengthy breather. Smith also turned on the jets in the 12th and he demonstrated that his determination, heart and right hand were still present, even if his considerable boxing skills were not.  

Ultimately Smith won by a majority decision: 115-112, 115-113 and 114-114. I scored it 115-113 for Vlasov, but I understood that Smith had a case for winning a close decision. It certainly wasn't Smith's cleanest performance. He won't want to watch the replay often. Still, it's always a nice story when a club fighter makes it to the world level and wins a title. 

Vlasov probably deserved better than what he received on the judges’ scorecards. He showed what upper body movement, feints, good feet and angles can do to a knockout artist that loads up on big shots. Vlasov was clever, tricky and determined. Ultimately the judges liked Smith's power a little bit better, but Vlasov performed ably.  

Smith could next face Artur Beterbiev in a unification fight. Although Beterbiev is among the hardest hitters in boxing, he presents none of the stylistic dilemmas that Vlasov did. Beterbiev-Smith would be a battle of whose chin holds up better. There's a risk that Smith could get knocked out there, but he won't have to deal with clever and cagey. Maybe he'll prefer that.  

*** 

Jaron "Boots" Ennis has not been a secret. He hails from Philadelphia, a city that has a seen a few things over the decades when it comes to its beloved boxing, and which features a fanbase that is not overly impressed with what's hot and new. Yet despite the cynicism of Philly fans, Ennis has been able to shatter that hard-heartedness. During his development fights, he created what seemed like universal support and affection among Philly's boxing enthusiasts. One can often hear Philly boxing fans (or even those in the city who ply their trade in the sport) rip this young fighter or that prospect, but when I've seen Ennis fight in Philly, I've never heard a negative word about him from anyone, which I'm sure qualifies as some sort of record. 

And despite not facing tough competition throughout his development fights, Ennis at 23 was already headlining a Showtime championship boxing card on Saturday. It didn't matter that there wasn't a championship on the line for his fight against welterweight contender Sergey Lipinets. It wasn't a case of Showtime boxing head Stephen Espinoza being too hasty. Similar to those Philly fight fans, the boxing execs trusted their eyes and had become believers. 

Jaron "Boots" Ennis (left) shoots a left hand
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

The attributes that have made many boxing fans fall in love with Ennis were all in fine form on Saturday: the massive punch variety, the pinpoint accuracy, the freak athleticism, the seamless switching from southpaw to orthodox. But what really surprised me was Ennis' punching power. Yes, his final right hook/left uppercut combo in the sixth round will be replayed endlessly, but Ennis pasted Lipinets throughout the fight with hard stuff from all angles and multiple stances. It wasn't just that he landed with thudding blows, but that they had a real effect on a tough, durable fighter who had taken his fair share of heavy punches throughout his career.  

While all of Ennis' fancy stuff is important and vital in his overall package as a fighter, let's not forget that he has 25 knockouts in 27 fights. He's not one of these cuties with great skills who needs to fight in that style because of a lack of power. He can box brilliantly AND hurt an opponent, stop him, and end it quickly. 

Lipinets turned out to be the perfect opponent for Ennis. He was physical, did some grappling on the inside, dug to the body when he could, had nasty intent on his shots and took some big punches. Ultimately, Lipinets was outgunned, but he represented Ennis' first real test as a pro, a test in which he passed with flying colors.   

But if we're nitpicking, and let's nitpick for a second, Ennis does need to tighten up things defensively. Perhaps he has developed some bad habits against poor opposition. There were too many times where Lipinets was able to land a free shot on Ennis (usually a chopping right hand) to an area where there wasn't a glove anywhere nearby. Maybe Ennis thought that he was out of range, that his reflexes would allow him to avoid the shot, or that he had the chin to take it. Whatever the reason may be, it's not a good practice to give capable, hard-hitting welterweights free shots.  

I'm sure Ennis knows that he kicked some serious butt on Saturday, but what will he do when he sees "95" on his exam paper instead of "100"? Will he be satisfied with the result, or will he do what it takes to ace the next one? That answer will help determine his ultimate ceiling in the sport.  

***

Quietly, Lithuanian welterweight Eimantas Stanionis has plied his trade on smaller cards, beating solid pros such as Justin DeLoach and Levan Ghvamichava. In his 13th professional fight on Saturday he faced former junior welterweight title challenger Thomas Dulorme, a 30-bout veteran who had recently given strong work to Jamal James, Jessie Vargas and Yordenis Ugas in the welterweight division.  

And this was not a faded version of Dulorme that appeared on Saturday. Working with noted trainer Ismael Salas, Dulorme was well prepared for what Stanionis had to offer. Noticing a high guard, Dulorme went to Stanionis' body with lead power shots. Salas realized that Stanionis almost always worked off the jab, so he had his fighter move toward Stanionis' power hand, often a no-no, but here it was excellent advice. In addition, Dulorme was instructed not to stand in front of Stanionis and limit prolonged exchanges. Ultimately, Dulorme and Salas had the right game plan; it just didn't matter.  

Over the course of 12 grueling rounds, Stanionis was better able to assert himself in the ring. When Dulorme darted out of the pocket, Stanionis used excellent footwork to trap Dulorme and start another offensive attack. Although Dulorme constantly moved to Stanionis' right, it was Stanionis' jab that consistently landed throughout the fight. And even though Dulorme would have success with quick lead punches, Stanionis' counters were crisp, hard and effective.  

Stanionis would win via unanimous decision and while Dulorme asked many questions, Stanionis had enough answers. Although there are more hyped young welterweights in the sport than Stanionis (Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, for example), his performance on Saturday demonstrated that he too has world-class skills.  

Some of the issues that Dulorme and Salas exposed are areas that Stanionis must continue to improve upon. He can be predictable with his offensive approach and he will need to mix in more lead right hands and lead left hooks. And it's true that his defensive guard can be a little too high. 

Stanionis landed many of his best shots throughout the fight, but he wasn't able to knock out or even seriously hurt Dulorme, who has been chinny throughout his career. Although Stanionis has an almost 70% knockout ratio, he doesn't seem to be a one-punch KO guy; he grinds down opponents over time with pressure and incisive punching.  

A smart fighter with a number of solid tools, Stanionis is going to be a tough night at the office for any opponent. However, it's an open question as to whether he has anything that could be considered sublime. The welterweight division historically has featured many of the top fighters in the sport and the present with Crawford, Spence and Pacquiao is a further continuation of this trend. Being very good often isn't good enough, not at 147. We shall see.  

***

Jerwin Ancajas is not a beloved fighter. After impressing in his early title defenses, he did two things that led to antipathy in many corners of the boxing world: he turned down big fights and his performance level started to drop. Unfortunately for Ancajas, he finds himself in the junior bantamweight division, where titleholders like Juan Estrada and Kazuto Ioka have recently faced much bigger challenges, and former champions Roman Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai are constantly hunting big game. They all want to prove themselves against the best, and I'm not sure that Ancajas has felt similarly. 

Ancajas, from the Philippines, and a protege of Manny Pacquiao, recently aligned with the PBC and kicked off Saturday's Showtime broadcast against unheralded but capable Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico. And they went to war.

Ancajas (left) connecting with a straight left hand
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

Ancajas won via a unanimous decision and the fight was a fantastic watch, with brutal back-and-forth action. Ancajas' offense was eye-catching. He dug to the body mercilessly with right hooks. He displayed a ferocious and varied offensive attack. 

But his faults were still there to see. Noticing that Ancajas leaned over his front foot, Rodriguez pasted him with right uppercuts. Seeing that Ancajas' glove positioning was a mess, he landed consistently with straight and looping right hands. 

Furthermore, after knocking down Rodriguez during an impressive eighth round assault, Ancajas was unable to get the stoppage despite Rodriguez looking like he was ready to go at multiple points. And despite being physically depleted, Rodriguez was actually the fighter who seemed to close better in the championship rounds.  

Saturday's version of Ancajas was a lot of fun, and fun is always welcome in boxing. But this is not a division to fool around in. There are real threats at 115 lbs., Hall of Famers at or still close to their peak, and menacing contenders. If Ancajas can't perfect his defensive shortcomings, or figure out how to stop a wounded fighter, his title reign will wind up being remembered for much more quantity than quality. He's now at nine title defenses and counting, a formidable number for sure, but the names are nowhere near as impressive as that number. And we probably know why that has been the case.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

The Development Trap

The development trap is one of the true conundrums in the sport. Take the quick money, the early title shot, or pull back the reins and let talent develop. The right answer often isn’t obvious. This decision keeps matchmakers, managers and trainers up at night, and it’s one of beguiling and enduring mysteries in the sport. When is a fighter truly ready? It's impossible to know with 100% certainly. Sure, everyone will get it wrong at some point, but the question is how often, and what can be done to reduce a faulty process so that better decisions are made in the future?

The impetus behind this article is my belief that too many fighters are falling short of their potential due to a bad combination of not enough seasoning for top prospects and overly aggressive teams. There are not enough A-fighters in boxing right now, which is a concern. And the development trap issue isn't just a Top Rank problem or a PBC problem, it's categorical within the sport. 

***

In a weekend that featured Erickson Lubin, Jaron "Boots" Ennis and Tugstsogt "King Tug" Nyambayar, I started thinking about the development trap. On Saturday, Lubin was fighting Terrell Gausha, with the winner getting another shot at a world title. Three years ago, after just turning 22, Lubin had his first title opportunity against Jermell Charlo. Lubin had been a hyped prospect and his team had been pushing for him to be moved very quickly. Unfortunately for him, he didn't make it to the second round of that fight as Charlo destroyed him with a three-punch combination. Lubin's defense fell apart completely because of a double jab. This resulted in Lubin leaving his left side completely unguarded for Charlo's right hand. There was nothing fancy in Charlo's combination, but it was concerning to see Lubin react so poorly to a basic boxing move. 

It's not that a 22-year old can't become a boxing champ. Certainly many have and many more will achieve the feat. But the proposition becomes far more difficult when the 22-year-old has faced such a weak slate of development opponents. In Lubin's 18 fights prior to Charlo, there was no former champ or tough contender on his resume. Although he fought numerous lower-level gatekeepers and trial horses, no opponent in his development would have been a threat at the top of the junior middleweight division. 

After the Charlo loss, Lubin regrouped and fought among others a faded champ in Ishe Smith and a rugged contender in Nathaniel Gallimore, precisely the type of opponents that Lubin should have fought before his title shot (And those were the exact two opponents that Julian Williams faced after also getting knocked out in his first title shot. Williams was another boxer who fought a relatively weak collection of developmental opponents.) 

Lubin (left) curls his left around Gausha
Photo Courtesy of Amanda Westcott

On Saturday, Lubin scarcely resembled the young gun who entered the ring full of confidence a few years back. He boxed cautiously. He pumped out his right jab and opened up sporadically. He would box his way to unanimous decision and he was able to hurt Gausha in the 12th round with a sharp right hook. But Lubin was hurt badly in the 10th round by an overhand right by Gausha, who is not a big puncher or an adept finisher. Lubin's leg gave out after absorbing the shot and if Gausha had more power or guile in putting his shots together, he certainly could have ended the fight. Lubin deserves credit for eventually recovering, but he had to survive some rocky moments. 

Lubin is still young and can improve, but his defensive shortcomings are still present. His left glove positioning is a mess. He will put it in all sorts of places during a fight. At points he tucked his left glove under his chin, which would make it impossible to protect himself from a temple shot or a shot high on the head (and would you believe that's the punch that Gausha hurt him with?) But let's say Jermell Charlo wins his fight this weekend (which isn't a given) and faces Lubin for a second time. Who would be confident that Lubin wins the rematch?

And all of this leads back to Lubin's development. Shouldn't his management and backers have been aware of these issues before throwing him in his initial title fight? If he was stepped up more gradually, wouldn't Lubin have been in a better position to learn from his mistakes and correct them in future bouts? It turns out that Gausha was a great opponent for Lubin. He landed a couple of hard shots, but didn't really possess the next-level talent to beat him. And Saturday's experience would have been even better had it happened before the title shot. Maybe his team would have then realized that Lubin still needed a few more fights to correct some defensive issues, to learn how to deal with duress better.  

***

King Tug Nyambayar won a split decision against late replacement Cobia Breedy in the co-feature to Lubin-Gausha. Earlier in the year Tug lost a spirited fight to featherweight champion Gary Russell. That fight, like Saturday's one against Breedy, featured a concerning performance from Tug. During the first-half of the Russell bout, Tug seemed completely overwhelmed in the ring. He had no answers for Russell’s hand or foot speed, and didn't have the confidence to put punches together. Eventually he came on and won some rounds in the back half of the fight. But still, he wasn't fully prepared for the Russell bout. But why would he have been? It was only his 12th professional fight. Defeating slow-handed fighters like Claudio Marrero and Oscar Escandon wouldn't have prepared Tug for Russell's speed. But Tug's team was more interested in positioning its fighter for a title shot than actually preparing him for one. 

Tugstsogt "King Tug" Nyambayar (left) with a left hook
Photo Courtesy of Amanda Westcott

On Saturday, despite dropping Breedy twice (once in the first, once in the second), Tug had to sweat it out on the cards. You know why? Because he still isn't a 12-round fighter. Despite having a significant power advantage and an opponent who could be hurt, Nyambayar just didn't want to work a whole fight. Again, these are the types of traits that should be known about a fighter before he reaches the top. 

Lubin and Tug still have significant flaws, even after their title losses, which begs the question of why their teams were throwing them into title shots far before they were ready. It's one thing to roll the dice with a limited fighter and put him in a title shot. It's another thing to shortchange a legit prospect's development. I mean, it's sad to see Lubin fighting gun shy at 24. Here was one of America's top amateurs and in just a few short years he doesn't feel comfortable opening up against a non-puncher. Clearly that wasn't the plan. 

Of course, another part of the development trap is rushing a guy into a title shot, and he wins. Consider Shakur Stevenson for a moment. He's a young kid with all the promise in the world. After just 12 pro fights he was sent into a title shot and he won, convincingly might I add, against Joet Gonzalez. But here's the rub: Stevenson is only 23 and because he makes good money, he will now only be fighting most likely twice a year. He's still at a crucial development time in his career and it would be an absolute sin for his talent to be sitting on the shelf for six months at a time. Think about how much he could improve with more camps and legit opponents. To date he's only faced two fighters, Christopher Diaz and Gonzalez, whom I would refer to as even "B-level." And it's a strange, messed up sport when Stevenson's last opponent, Felix Caraballo, who lost every second of his fight against Shakur, gets brought back to fight this past weekend by the same promotional company while there's not even a peep about Stevenson's next bout. 

On one hand Stevenson is now in a position where he is making mid-six figures a fight. That's very good money. However, what if he doesn't become as great as he could have been? Even after winning a belt he still doesn't have a ton of professional seasoning. What if he never develops the fan base that he should because he's not in the ring often enough? Although I'm sure Stevenson and his team may be quite happy with many of their choices, an argument can be made that their current path may reduce their chances of seeing the big money down the road. Stevenson should be back in the ring as soon as possible. He was barely touched in his last fight. Yet...crickets. This scenario is another manifestation of the development trap. 

***

Let's take a look at three uber-talented young American fighters: Vergil Ortiz (22 years old, 16-0), Devin Haney (21 years old, 24-0) and Boots Ennis (23 years old, 26-0). All three of these fighters could be on the short list of the top fighters in the sport in five years. However, only one of them currently is a "champion," which is Haney, who has a version of the WBC lightweight belt. Haney and his team initially wanted a shot as Lomachenko, which is their right (even though Haney hadn't fought anyone of note on his way up). However, Lomachenko's team and the WBC concocted a scheme whereby Haney would not get a Lomachenko fight but would receive some piece of silverware from the organization. Meanwhile, Ennis and Ortiz have both fought twice since Haney last laced them up (to be fair, Haney did have a minor shoulder surgery).  

Needless to say, a 21-year-old should not be out of the ring for a year. And perhaps if Haney wasn't a "champion" right now, he could have already made his way back on a smaller card. Ennis and Ortiz are continuing to develop while Haney has done all of his fighting in 2020 through press releases and interviews. 

On the flip side, it's easy to see the talent of Ennis and Ortiz and say that they're ready for a title shot now. I mean, we don't see a lot of five-star prospects these days. And maybe these two fighters, not fully polished yet, could win a title. But to this point their respective teams aren't forcing that direction. Perhaps we must give credit to Errol Spence and Terence Crawford for that as well. Ennis and Ortiz are both welterweights, and there isn't a path to grab a belt against a less-than-elite fighter. Maybe if the Carlos Baldomirs of the world still held a welterweight title, the teams of Ortiz and Ennis would be friskier. 

Jaron "Boots" Ennis (right) splits the guard of Abreu
Photo Courtesy of Amanda Westcott

For now, they are playing it smart. The repetitions of additional training camps and pro fights, and the steady raising of opposition quality still have a role to play. Ennis, despite an abundance of talent, has yet to face even a B-fighter, and although Ortiz has, you won't find a true contender on his resume. Both also still have things to work on. Ennis didn't look particularly comfortable in the clinch against Luis Carlos Abreu on Saturday, constantly looking to the ref for help and exhibiting bad body language. You can bet that other fighters and trainers saw that as well. If I'm Ennis's team, I put him in with a mauler or a grappler next to have him more comfortable with that style. As for Ortiz, he has made steady strides with his defense, especially with seeing opposing right hands. But he still leaves himself a little too open during exchanges. Both fighters need to make additional refinements before fully reaching their best in the ring. 

Yet Haney, because he is "champion," because at 21 he insists he is in the big-money phase of his career, will play around hoping that Gary Russell will fight him. If the Russell fight doesn't materialize next, Haney will then fight the ghost of Yuriorkis Gamboa, who when last we saw him had only one Achilles tendon and the ability to take hard shots. Isn't this version of Gamboa the guy Haney should have been fighting three, four fights ago? How is a past-it Gamboa going to make Haney a better fighter? Haney fighting a "name" is more important to his team right now then actually having him improve as a fighter, which is a classic development trap.

***

Let's end this on a positive note. Matching and developing fighters is more of an art than a science. A team can do everything right and a fighter can still come up short. A boxer can have poor development bouts and yet still have a Hall of Fame career (take a look at Andre Ward's poor development slate). But what upsets me the most is when teams make poor decisions because they didn't have the right information, because they ignored it, or because they weren't interested in finding out about their fighter. Far too many in the sport pride themselves on maneuvering or positioning their fighters into title opportunities instead of developing top talents. Of course, once you have the connections, it's far easier to maneuver than to develop. 

This brings us to Jermell Charlo, who fights Jeison Rosario on Saturday for a chance to unify three belts in the 154-lb. division. Jermell Charlo was once thought of as the lesser talent to his brother Jermall. Big brother Jermall was the puncher and little brother Jermell was the jabber. If you look at Jermell's slate of development fights, you can tell that nothing was gift wrapped for him. Prior to fighting for a belt, he faced Vanes Martirosyan, a U.S. Olympian who could box, had power and liked it rough on the inside. He fought Gabe Rosado, perhaps one of the sport's pre-eminent B-fighters, a guy who keeps coming despite whatever return fire comes his way. Charlo defeated Joachim Alcine, a former champ and tricky mover. In addition, he fought Demetrius Hopkins, a rugged and skilled B-fighter. He also took on tough gatekeepers such as Dashon Johnson, Denis Douglin and Francisco Santana. 

In short, Charlo was as ready as he was going to be for his first title shot, which he won in a challenging fight against John Jackson. Jermell's team didn't fall for the development trap. He was given the appropriate opponents and time to develop. Perhaps because he was never among the absolute best prospects coming up, he was afforded more patience. And that patience has been rewarded. Should he win on Saturday, he will have three belts and a seat at the table with the other elite fighters in boxing. Jermell Charlo is proof that sometimes matchmakers, managers, advisors, promoters and the fighters themselves get it right, allowing a talent to flourish to his full potential. I wish that would happen more. When it works, the results can be magical. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

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The Boots Ennis Show

Making my way inside the 2300 Arena in South Philly for the Jaron "Boots" Ennis-Raymond Serrano card, I stop off at the box office (Hard Hitting Promotions was presenting the show). I ask the woman behind the glass how ticket sales are going. She replies: "We're sold out. Every single seat. You wouldn't believe how many people we had to turn away. It's crazy."

Earlier this year, Philadelphia hosted a strong Top Rank card headlined by the junior featherweight title match between Jessie Magdaleno and Isaac Dogboe. Also on the card were Philadelphia boxers Jesse Hart and Bryant Jennings in separate fights. In a strange scene, after the Hart fight, but before the main event, a large percentage of the crowd started to leave. One out-of-town media member incredulously exclaimed, "I thought Philly was a fight town." To which an elderly writer at the same table said, "No, Philly is a club fight town." Friday's Ennis-Serrano fight was affirmative proof of that statement. 

Electricity was in the air. The crowd was juiced. Yes, local fans show up for Philly vs. Philly fights, but Friday wasn't necessarily an example of that. Ennis had probably 90% of the crowd support. Through 21 fights in his career, Ennis had been a virtual wrecking ball, knocking out 19 opponents, and only six of them had even made it to the fourth round. But Ennis wasn't fighting in a vacuum, appearing deep on big fight undercards or in far-flung casinos. Counting Friday, 12 of his 22 fights had been in the greater Philadelphia area. In short, he's been building his career the old-fashioned way: fighting often (22 fights in just over 30 months) and close to home. He's been beefing up his local following one knockout at a time. 

Photo Courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Philadelphia is of course a proud boxing town and while the city may have slipped from its spot in the boxing pantheon over the last few generations, it's not as if it has been bereft of fighting talent. Over the last 10 years, the city has had champions such as Bernard Hopkins, Steve Cunningham, Danny Garcia, Jason Sosa (from across the Delaware River in Camden, N.J.) and Tevin Farmer. It also has produced title challengers such as Eddie Chambers, Teon Kennedy, LaJuan Simon, Demetrius Hopkins, Yusaf Mack, Mike Jones, Gabe Rosado, Eric Hunter, Hank Lundy, Julian Williams, Jennings and Hart.  

As much as Philadelphia loves a good club fight, the boxing community has often been slow to embrace its top local fighters on a more permanent basis. More than a few of those listed above never were able to build a substantial local or national following. As a result, they often plied their trades as "opponents" or itinerant sparring partners, keeping themselves close to a phone as they waited for a title shot. Interestingly, some of the most successful recent Philadelphia fighters developed their local followings after they had made it big. Bernard Hopkins and Danny Garcia weren't the toast of the Philadelphia boxing scene before they made it big.

With Boots Ennis, things certainly feel differently. Everyone sees the talent. In talking to a few of the veteran boxing people around the area – the types that preach caution and perspective – even they acknowledge his abundant skills, fighting family pedigree (two of his brothers boxed, his father is a trainer) and his aggressive temperament. And of course, it doesn't hurt to be the main event fighter on a ShoBox card. Nationally, sharp boxing observers have started to confirm what the Philadelphia boxing community has seen locally. 

Thus, as Boots Ennis made his way to the ring on Friday, resplendent in his purple boxing attire, the crowd was deafening with its support. With his first punch of significance in the fight, Boots landed a jarring straight right hand out of the orthodox stance and then proceeded to paste Serrano around the ring as a southpaw. Throughout the first round, Ennis cracked Serrano with straight lefts, right hooks to the body and menacing combinations. By the end of the round, Serrano was holding on for dear life. 

But Boots was just getting started. In the second round, Ennis closed the show with an impressive display of versatility and firepower. He dropped Serrano for the first time with a pulverizing right hook out of the southpaw stance. Then, seconds later, he knocked down Serrano with a jab/straight right hand combo out of the orthodox stance. He finished off the fight with a flurry of punches while Serrano was trapped along the ropes, ending things with another right hook out of the southpaw stance. In short, it was a flawless performance and left the crowd in a frenzy. 

It's still early days for Ennis. At just 21 and in perhaps boxing's most competitive division, welterweight, there are no guarantees. He will have to avoid many of the pratfalls and hang-ups that have felled many top prospects in the sport. However, the talent is real. Perhaps most importantly, his destructive temperament in the ring separates him from other top American prospects. He's not one of these fighters who plays around with lesser opponents and amuses himself with his superior hand speed and athleticism. He's there to take guys out.

Who knows just how far the Boots Ennis train may go? But it should make for an entertaining ride as he graduates from prospect to contender. So far, he checks off all the boxes. He's connecting with fans and those within the boxing industry. He may be Philadelphia's next big boxing star, but I have a hunch that he wants far more than that. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.
snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.