Trainer ‘Bozy’ Ennis Urges Crawford to “Frustrate” Canelo with Holding and Moving

Trainer Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis wants Terence Crawford to “frustrate” Canelo Alvarez by using a lot of holding and moving to win a decision on September 13th. He believes that if he clinches Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs), and angers him, he can win rounds and ultimately get the victory.

Canelo vs. Crawford: Boring Fight Risk?

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) needs to try to make it entertaining after Turki Alalshikh said he no longer wants “Tom and Jerry” type of non-engaging fights on his Riyadh Season events.

If Crawford follows Bozy’s game plan, fans are going to feel ripped off for purchasing tickets to the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas or subscribing to Netflix. Fans want value for their money, and they deserve it for what is supposed to be “the biggest fight” in years.

Fighters cannot afford to be boring in this era now if they want to be well paid and be invited to Turki’s events. It was fine to be boring during the 1990s during the Mayweather era, but not anymore. You’ve got to entertain. If you’re a runner and a clincher, you could be fazed out. It might not matter to Bozy because he’s not the one who will be treated like a pariah. It’s the fighters who don’t engage, choosing to hold and run.

“I’m leaning toward Terence. He and Boots are similar when it comes to the weight thing. Boots gets up big,” said trainer Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis to Fighthype, picking Terence Crawford to beat Canelo Alvarez. “I seen Boots at a certain weight where he can handle those big guys, and be knocking them out in sparring when he’s up in weight.”

Ennis and Crawford are two different fighters. What might work well for the 27-year-old Boots when he’s heavier doesn’t seem to be going as well for the 37-year-old Crawford. He was slower bulking up for his last fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov. And with the additional weight that Crawford has packed on for his September 13th fight against Canelo, he looks even slower.

“So, that’s a beautiful weight for Terence. I think he can handle it. One thing about Terence that people don’t understand. He can box, and he’s smart when it comes to that boxing game. He don’t waste no punches,” said Ennis.

Crawford had problems handling the extra weight against Madrimov. He doesn’t waste punches, but he gets hit a lot. He was eating right hands from Madrimov the entire fight, and his face looked all messed up at the end. Bozy’s recollection of the fight sounds foggy because it was not the masterclass from Crawford that he remembers. He arguably lost the fight, but the judges bailed him out.

Ennis’s Crawford-Canelo Frustration Plan

“If it was me training him [Crawford], I would have him frustrating Canelo,” said Bozy. “What I would do with him. I would hit him with good combination shots. Canelo has got to be set to throw punches. If Crawford box and move, he don’t like nobody to box and move. That’s what Crawford is going to do.”

Crawford’s Money, Bozy’s Bad Plan

That strategy that Bozy wants Crawford to use against Canelo won’t please Turki Alalshikh. He’s paying Crawford mega-millions, rumored to be $50 million. He’s not going to happy if Crawford follows Bozy’s game plan of frustrating Canely by moving and tying him up. That plan wouldn’t be bad if it were an undercard fight in the prelims, where a fighter could get away with putting in a boring performance.

But with this being the main event for a fighter being paid massive money by Turki, it’s not a good idea for Crawford to follow Bozy’s game plan. I wouldn’t do it if I were Crawford. If Bozy told me to use that game plan, I’d refuse and clue him in on Turki’s “Tom and Jerry” directive. If he didn’t understand, I’d get a new trainer. Bozy sounds like he hasn’t been keeping up on things. You can’t turn in boring performances on Turki’s card if you want to be invited back. Crawford’s fighting style is boring enough as it is without being told to make it even duller.

Bozy Ennis: Tie Up Canelo Strategy

“This is what I would tell him to do. Box him and hit him with good shots,” said Bozy. “Set him up. As soon as he [Canelo] gets ready to get set [to throw], I would tie him up and walk him to the center. Keep on doing it over and over. And then once you start doing that, they lose their cool. Then they’re open for all kinds of shots,” said Bozy.

It’s doubtful that Crawford will use that strategy for the Canelo fight. That would be pure poison for the eyes, and there would be a lot of people angry at him afterward. That style doesn’t work for this era where boxing has competition from other sports. Using Bozy’s sleep-inducing game plan would be an insane idea for Crawford or any fighter if they want to become a star.