Jaron Ennis vs Cody Crowley targeted for May

It’s been a turbulent couple of years for IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis, culminating in a massive lawsuit against promoter NOW Boxing for failing to deliver a contractually mandated number of fights. There’s at least one clear point in his future, though, as Chris Mannix reports that plans are in place for Ennis to face mandatory challenger Cody Crowley this May as part of the next Canelo undercard.

Crowley (22-0, 9 KO) hasn’t seen action since edging out Abel Ramos last March, making 2023 his fourth year in a row to feature a single outing. Ennis’ (31-0, 28 KO) father and trainer, Bozy, alleges that Crowley turned down a fight with Ennis on last November’s Benavidez vs Andrade show; no telling whether Crowley lowered his asking price or Ennis grew more accommodating over the last couple months.

Whatever the case, we’ll hopefully see one of the sport’s best talents return to action in a few short months. Crowley isn’t as appealing an opponent as Ennis’ original target, Mario Barrios, but he’s gritty enough to make a fight of it.