Crawford May Move Up and Cue an Ennis vs Barrios Unification
The departure of unified welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford, could open the door for a unification featuring IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (31-0, 28KO) and WBC interim champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (28-2, 18KO).
Bud (40-0, 31KO) is burning up the boxing news cycle with news of facing the winner between WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu, versus Sebastian Fundora unification. According to the news, he has invoked his mandatory status with the WBO. Per the organizations rules, a fighter can’t hold titles in more than one division at a time. This is providing he is able to capture the title.
AN OPPORTUNITY ON THE HORIZON
It means Crawford could be on the verge of vacating the titles. This opens the door for the WBC to elevate El Azteca to full champion status. The interim champion is coming off a win over former WBA champion Yordenis Ugas in September 2023.
Boots could be on the verge of fighting top contender Cody “The Crippler” Crowley. The Crippler originally decided against taking the fight in 2023, only to return to the negotiations table. If the fight happens and the Philadelphian retains the title, boxing fans could see him and Barrios in a unification sometime in 2024.
This isn’t the first time there have been talks between the two camps about making a fight. After being elevated to full champion by the IBF, Boots was looking to make his first title defense against Barrios in 2023. Despite their fight never materializing, it seems that a window of opportunity could open to revisit making the fight happen.
Many inside the boxing community view Ennis as the future kingpin of the division. A victory in a unification would create even more buzz around his name as a potential star. If all things go as planned, the journey towards undisputed could start with Barrios.
