Boxing

Eddie Hearn's Bold Claim Naming Terence Crawford's Replacement Raises Eyebrows

Eddie Hearn got clear about who he thinks the next Terence Crawford is.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / AAP

Terence Crawford cemented himself as one of the greatest boxers of his generation with his upset victory over Canelo Alvarez on September 13.

There's a case to be made that even if Crawford had come up short against Canelo, he could still have been viewed in this prestigious light.

However, given that he jumped up two weight classes to challenge Canelo, dominated him across the 12 rounds, took his undisputed super middleweight titles, and became the first male to be an undisputed champion in three different weight classes across his career, there's no debate that Crawford deserves this rare distinction.

While having such a great champion like Crawford is great for the sport of boxing, it's a shame that it took so long in his career to receive his long-deserved flowers. Crawford just turned 38 years old, and if he isn't going to retire right now, it's clear that he only has a couple of fights left before hanging up the gloves for good.

Terence Crawford on September 9, 2025.
Terence Crawford on September 9, 2025. | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

There is no shortage of great American boxers right now. However, is one of them capable of eventually challenging Crawford's status as this generation's greatest?

Eddie Hearn seems to think so.

Eddie Hearn's Jaron 'Boots' Ennis Praise Turns Heads

The Matchroom Boxing promoter did a recent interview with Ring Magazine. And at one point, he made a bold claim about one of his fighters, Jaron "Boots" Ennis.

"I've seen all the top fighters. I truly believe that Jaron Ennis is the pound-for-pound number one in waiting," Hearn said, per an X post from Ring Magazine. "I'm not talking about three years; I'm talking about 12 months. I think this guy's gonna go through this [154-pound] division, move up to 160, three-weight world champion.

"I think he's the guy to replace Terence Crawford," Hearn added. "I think he's that good."

While Hearn is obviously going to boost his boxers up before they fight, there's no doubt that Boots Ennis is a world-class fighter. He has an undefeated 34-0 record with 30 KOs (and one no-contest) and is currently the WBA and Ring Magazine welterweight champion.

Given that Crawford spent most of his career fighting at welterweight and then moved up to 154 last year before agreeing to fight Canelo, Ennis is on a similar trajectory. In fact, many fans want to see Crawford's next fight be against Boots, if only to prove which of them is superior at this point.

Regardless of whether Crawford fights him, someone else, or he decides to retire, Boots would have big shoes to fill if Eddie Hearn's words are to be believed.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.