The Selfishness of a King: Terence Crawford Withholding the Torch from Jaron Ennis and David Benavidez

If Terence Crawford is the ‘Face of Boxing’ as he proclaims himself to be, why won’t he let the young lions David Benavidez and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis get a fight against him? He’s being selfish and withholding by avoiding a right of passage for the passing of the torch to young ‘Boots’ and ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez.

A King’s Selfish Reign

It doesn’t work for the sport if Crawford is going to protect his brand by bypassing Ennis and David Benavidez. These two are one win away from becoming massive stars. They just need Crawford hoarding the spotlight like a miser, not wanting to let Ennis and Benavidez get their chance.

Bud’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, showed no interest when asked if Crawford would fight Ennis or Benavidez next after his win over Canelo Alvarez.  If Crawford’s skills are so great, why doesn’t he or his fans want him to fight Benavidez and ‘Boots’?

Refusing to Pass the Torch

Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) is guarding his legacy and image by not giving Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) the chance to ascend to the next star the way others did for him. Older or worn-out fighters agreed to fight Crawford so that he could climb to stardom.

• Canelo Alvarez
• Ricky Burns
• Viktor Postol
• Yuriorkis Gamboa
• Shane Mosley
• Errol Spence

Crawford used these fighters to become a star. How would he like it if they chose to turn up their noses at fighting the highly mobile, switch-hitting southpaw when he was asking them for a fight?

Lessons from Oscar De La Hoya

Floyd Mayweather Jr. used Oscar De La Hoya to become a mega-star of the sport. Manny Pacquiao also used De La Hoya to become a PPV attraction as well. De La Hoya was willing to do that for the sport. Why can’t Crawford be like Oscar?

Blocking Boxing’s Natural Cycle

Crawford is blocking boxing’s natural cycle of life, of the torch being passed. Is it too much to ask for Crawford to be used as a springboard for ‘Boots’ Ennis to become the next star? He should let the young lion eat instead of hogging the meat for himself.

I think Crawford is being a Grinch by not preventing the evolution of the sport by fighting Ennis and/or Benavidez. It would be a class move if Crawford fought them both before he retires rather than moving down to 160 to fight the belt-holders in that division.

Will Crawford Run From the Young Lions?

If Crawford is worried about ‘Boots’ ripping him apart, making him look like an old man, he shouldn’t be afraid. With the way he moves around the ring, he’ll make it difficult for Ennis to land any of his punishing blows. The same applies to Benavidez. Is Crawford afraid of being obliterated by ‘The Mexican Monster’?

Obviously, it’ll look bad if Crawford runs from Ennis like he did against Canelo, but what are you going to do? If a fighter is afraid to engage, that’s what you’re going to get.