Eddie Hearn Bets Terence Crawford Won't Stay Retired for Boots Ennis

Terence Crawford has been retired since December, but Eddie Hearn isn't buying that it sticks. The Matchroom boss told The Ring he expects the five-weight champion to reverse course for one specific opponent: Jaron 'Boots' Ennis. Crawford, 38, last fought in September 2025, jumping to 168lbs and outpointing Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed super-middleweight king before walking away three months later.

Hearn's pitch hinges on a chain of results falling into place. Ennis, unbeaten at 36-0 with 32 knockouts, is expected to face IBF champion Josh Kelly next, then WBC titlist Sebastian Fundora. If Boots runs that gauntlet and becomes undisputed at 154lbs, Hearn believes Crawford's competitive instincts win out over his stated retirement.

That's a big 'if,' and Hearn knows it. He didn't sugarcoat Crawford's physical state either, acknowledging the body is breaking down and there's a real chance 'Bud' never laces them up again. But he framed Crawford as the type who's already sizing Ennis up and quietly convinced he'd handle him.

Why This Fight Has Legs

The speculation isn't coming from nowhere. Crawford and Ennis traded barbs on the broadcast of Andy Ruiz vs Damian Knyba on Friday, and that back-and-forth lit the fuse. Hearn has wanted the matchup for years and pitched it as potentially the biggest fight in boxing — high praise, but Ennis's résumé backs the hype. He unified at welterweight, then moved to 154lbs and took the WBA and WBO belts off Xander Zayas with a seventh-round stoppage in June.

The math on Ennis is ugly for opponents: 32 stops in 36 wins, an 89% finish rate, and no blemish on the ledger. Kelly, the IBF champ at 18-1-1 (9 KO), is a technician who edged Bakhram Murtazaliev on the cards but hardly a puncher. Fundora, 24-1-1 with 15 KOs, brings his awkward height and just wrecked Keith Thurman in six.

The Catch

For all Hearn's confidence, Crawford has given zero public signals he's coming back. Beating Canelo — a man now sitting at 63-2-2 — is the kind of career-capping win that makes staying retired easy. Hearn's betting the pull of a genuine superfight is stronger than a 38-year-old's better judgment. If Ennis handles Kelly and Fundora, we'll find out.