Terence Crawford has fired back at allegations that he sidestepped a top contender during his unbeaten run, insisting he would have stopped the fighter if they ever met in the ring.
The former three-division undisputed champion never backed down from tough tests, which is why he moved up two weight classes to take on Canelo Alvarez. Despite entering as a significant underdog, Crawford dethroned the Mexican superstar last September, claiming all four super-middleweight titles via a unanimous decision.
Even before that triumph, ‘Bud’ had already solidified his status as one of boxing’s elite by stopping Errol Spence Jr in the ninth round in 2023. Yet, before announcing his retirement as an undefeated five-division world champion in December, Crawford faced accusations from Jaron Ennis that he had intentionally avoided a showdown.
At the time, Ennis was the mandatory challenger for Crawford’s welterweight belts. Instead of facing ‘Boots’, Crawford vacated the titles and moved up to 154lbs, where he defeated Israil Madrimov. Ennis was then upgraded from interim to full champion and went on to unify the IBF and WBA belts against Eimantas Stanionis in April 2025.
Throughout that period, Ennis publicly insisted that Crawford had ducked him. But Crawford, now retired, told King Gillie that if they had fought at welterweight, it would have been a one-sided affair.
“You all wanted me to end Boots’ career before it even started. I would have knocked him the hell out. Stop playing with me. He wasn’t ready yet. He needed a couple more fights, they said.”
Now competing at 154lbs, Ennis is set to challenge unified world champion Xander Zayas at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 27.
