Terence Crawford shuts down comeback talk, says he’s 10 steps ahead of Jaron Boots Ennis in Ring IQ

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Terence “Bud” Crawford has made it unequivocally clear: he will not be coming out of retirement to face Jaron “Boots” Ennis. But that hasn’t stopped the undefeated legend from explaining—in vivid detail—exactly why he believes he would have beaten the sport’s newest unified champion.

Speaking on “The Porter Way” podcast following Ennis’s seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Saturday night, Crawford delivered a measured but pointed assessment of the 28-year-old phenom.

“To credit Boots, he’s a tremendous talent, and he’s no walk in the park for no one. He’s a threat tanyon that he steps foot in the ring with,” Crawford said.

Then came the qualifier.

“The only thing I can say is, I’m 10 steps ahead of him in smarts,” Crawford declared.

The Film Breakdown

Crawford, who retired in December 2025 with a flawless 42-0 record and 31 knockouts, didn’t stop at generalities. He offered a detailed scouting report on Ennis’s performance against Zayas—one that saw Ennis claim the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles.

“I can see the holes in his game, and I can see the openings and opportunities that I’ll have,” Crawford explained. “Xander couldn’t capitalize because his speed wasn’t there. I will be able to capitalize”.

The 38-year-old Nebraskan broke down exactly why he believes Zayas fell short where he would have succeeded: “A, I feel like I punch harder than Xander. B, I’m way sharper than Xander. C, I’m way faster than Xander”.

“When I capitalize, everybody knows I’m probably one of the best counter punchers there ever was,” Crawford added.

‘I’m Retired. I’m Happily Retired’

Despite the detailed fight breakdown, Crawford repeatedly insisted his career is over—a stance he has maintained since stepping away following his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight.

“I’m retired. I’m happily retired,” he said. “It’s Boots’ era. I wish him nothing but the best”.

The retirement decision has fueled speculation that Crawford walked away to avoid a dangerous matchup with the younger, relentless Ennis—a narrative that clearly stings the undefeated champion.

“When you say, ‘Oh, he would knock Terence Crawford out,’ or ‘Terence Crawford ducked him,’ or ‘Terence Crawford retired because of him,’ it pisses me off sometimes,” Crawford admitted. “But at the same time, it’s just the game”.

A Generation Gap

The Crawford-Ennis dynamic represents a classic passing-of-the-torch narrative—one that will now forever remain hypothetical.

Crawford, who became undisputed champion at three different weights and won titles in five divisions, spent years fighting for mainstream recognition before finally securing the marquee matchups that defined his late-career legacy. Ennis, by contrast, has rocketed to stardom with a crowd-pleasing, risk-taking style that has made him one of boxing’s most exciting attractions.

Critics have pointed to Crawford’s final two performances—tough nights against Israil Madrimov and Canelo Alvarez—as evidence that Father Time may have been catching up. But Crawford remains convinced his ring IQ would have been the deciding factor.

Ennis Responds

For his part, Ennis was dismissive of Crawford’s comments when speaking at the post-fight press conference.

“We ain’t worried about them retired fighters,” Ennis stated. “Leave Terence alone. Let him enjoy his family”.

The new unified junior middleweight champion has made it clear his focus is on unifying the 154-pound division. With Crawford firmly in retirement and Ennis ascending, the fight that captivated boxing fans may go down as one of the sport’s great what-ifs.

Crawford, however, seems at peace with that—even if he can’t resist one last breakdown of how it would have gone.

“I’m 10 steps ahead of him,” he repeated. “I’m 10 steps ahead of him in smarts”.

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Crawford retired with a 42-0 record (31 KOs) after defeating Canelo Alvarez in September 2025. Ennis improved to 34-0 with Saturday’s victory over Zayas.