When an awesome, unbeaten American began hitting the webpages of Sky Sports in 2020, it raised questions from inquisitive friends and family back home in London, curious if I knew much about him.
He was a bad man, even back then, and in the middle of a red-hot knockout run worth reporting to U.K. audiences.
Not many non-British athletes in combat sports — and non-championship ones at that — would've received the type of coverage Jaron "Boots" Ennis received at that time. But it was a testament to the potential Ennis had, the potential to perhaps emulate modern-day and internationally known welterweight greats like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya.
In the years since, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) has earned widespread acclaim for his jab, ability to switch-hit and put together bruising combinations. His ring-walk drip is as flamboyant and eye-catching as his extraordinary pivot, instinctive head movement and Philly Shell. He has retained his undefeated professional record while continuing to tally knockouts.
But there’s one thing missing.
Even at 28 years old, five years removed from the time Ennis piqued my dad's curiosity after seeing him on Sky, the IBF welterweight champion still lacks the legacy-defining fights that set Mayweather and De La Hoya apart for so long.
To make matters worse, he took on a pointless, IBF-mandated rematch in 2024 against Karen Chukhadzhian, whom he had already outpointed handily 22 months prior, and delivered only a so-so performance in the do-over.
Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, was already considering him moving to super welterweight. “Maybe it’s time to move [up],” Hearn told Uncrowned this past November.
Ennis didn’t disagree that fights at 154 pounds were more enticing, on paper, when considering the abundance of quality fighters like Sebastian Fundora,
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