With Over 10,000 Tickets Already Sold, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis Set to Go Ahead With Replacement After Crowley’s Withdrawal From Fight

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis won’t be fighting Cody Crowley. The unbeaten Canadian boxer backed off from the match on medical grounds. As a result, a replacement would join to stake a claim to Ennis’ IBF welterweight title. Per available accounts, over 10,000 fans, eager to see their hometown hero’s return, had already purchased the tickets. It’s been nearly six years since ‘Boots’ fought in front of home base supporters.

A few months after he defended his interim IBF welterweight title, Jaron Ennis met with a lucky breakthrough. The Philadelphia-born boxer became a full champion after then-undisputed champion Terence Crawford couldn’t follow through on the mandatory title defense. The Nebraskan had a rematch obligation with Errol Spence Jr. The latter invoked it following his title loss in July. Now elevated as the IBF’s welterweight title holder, the July 13 match at Wells Fargo Center would be Boots’ first title defense.

Mentioning that the Jaron Ennis fight still had six weeks, Mike Coppinger said, “Ennis sold over 10,000 tickets for his Philly homecoming at Wells Fargo Center, so a replacement opponent will be sought for Boots to defend his title on July 13 as planned.”

Citing sources who shared the update with ESPN, Coppinger had earlier written how ‘The Crippler’ had to pull out of the match as he couldn’t clear the pre-fight eye tests. “Crowley said at last month’s news conference for the fight that he recently underwent eye surgery,” the post on X read.

Providing further details via an Instagram post, Cody Crowley himself said, “Today, I met with my eye surgeon, who performed double eye surgery on me in November 2023. While I am pleased that my eyes continue to improve and heal, it still does not meet the minimum requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. The repaired retina in my right eye is experiencing fluid accumulation, causing distortion in my vision. As a result, the surgeon has not medically cleared me to fight on July 13.”

The Canadian southpaw shared how the developments left him sad. Though he had been preparing for the fight in full earnest, the situation eventually went out of his hands.

The Welter Wonderland: What Awaits Jaron Ennis?

Information about ‘Boots’ next opponent remains clouded. The match with Crowley follows Jaron Ennis joining Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing. Both Terence Crawford and former unified champion Errol Spence Jr. have now shifted their focus to the light middleweight division. ‘Bud’ will meet Israil Madrimov for the Uzbek champion’s WBA (super) light middleweight title. Spence Jr., on the other hand, will face Sebastian Fundora in October. So that basically leaves the welterweight playground open for Jaron Ennis.

Just a couple of weeks ago, fans saw him in a mild back-and-forth with Ryan Garcia. The Californian boxer is currently embroiled in a serious doping scandal. But in the recent past, he has made his interest in fighting at higher divisions quite clear. As far as the IBF ranks are concerned, fourth-ranked Giovani Santillan suffered his first career loss a few weeks ago. Number five, Errol Spence Jr., already has a fight in hand. So that leaves Jin Sasaki and Karen Chukhadzhian. Both scaled through their recent outings.

Who, in your opinion, could be ‘Boot’s ideal match-up in Crowley’s absence? Please share your views with us in the comments below.