Boxing has belts for everything. WBA Regular, WBC Franchise, IBF Silver, Diamond, Gold, Plastic. But one belt stands alone, undefeated, unchallenged, undisputed:<\/p>\n
Jaron \u201cBoots\u201d Ennis is the Champion of Tune-Ups.<\/p>\n
He has unified it, defended it, and carried it with pride. If tune-ups were a sanctioned division, Boots would already be a three-time undisputed champion. If mismatches had rankings, he\u2019d be pound-for-pound number one.<\/p>\n
The R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Nobody Fears<\/p>\n
Custio Clayton. Karen Chukhadzhian. Roiman Villa. Cody Crowley.<\/p>\n
Good fighters, respectable pros \u2014 but these aren\u2019t legacy fights. That\u2019s not a r\u00e9sum\u00e9, that\u2019s an undercard. These are names you scroll past on BoxRec while looking for the main event.<\/p>\n
Boots\u2019 toughest opponent so far has been the BoxRec search filter.<\/p>\n
At this rate, Matchroom should rebrand itself as Tune-Up Room. And with performances this soft, \u201cBoots\u201d is starting to look more like \u201cSandals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaving Greatness Off the Mountain<\/p>\n
And then Boots decided to rewrite history. Asked for his Mount Rushmore, he left out Terence Crawford \u2014 the man who became two-time undisputed, destroyed Spence, and beat Canelo in one of the greatest performances in sports history.<\/p>\n
Instead, Boots said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy opinion is, I like Roy Jones, Floyd Mayweather, and Pernell Whitaker. I\u2019m liking Sugar Ray Leonard. I\u2019m watching a little bit of Sugar Ray Leonard and James Toney. They\u2019re my top guys that I\u2019ve been watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Source: Boxing News 24)<\/p>\n
Translation: the undisputed champion of tune-ups just dismissed the undisputed champion of greatness.<\/p>\n
Boots talks Mount Rushmore. Crawford is Mount Rushmore.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s be clear \u2014 Boots shouldn\u2019t even put Crawford\u2019s name in his mouth. Not when Crawford carved his face on the mountain of immortality, and Boots is still chiseling his on the heavy bag.<\/p>\n
Honestly, Boots owes Canelo a refund. Sparring him clearly didn\u2019t prepare Canelo. He sparred a BOOTSleg version of Crawford.<\/p>\n
Crawford Earned It. Boots Streamed It.<\/p>\n
Crawford crossed oceans to win his first title. He unified 140, became undisputed at 147, beat every style imaginable, and then dared to jump two divisions to dethrone Canelo.<\/p>\n
Boots? He streamed Sugar Ray Leonard highlights on his phone and defended his Tune-Up Title against Cody Crowley.<\/p>\n
Bud is sculpting masterpieces in oil; Boots is still finger-painting in the corner.<\/p>\n
The Lima Statement<\/p>\n
And now comes the latest chapter: Boots\u2019 154 debut against Uisma Lima. Ranked #9 by the IBF and WBA, but unknown to 99% of the boxing world.<\/p>\n
Boots promises to \u201cmake a statement.\u201d Against Lima. Yes, the pressure is real \u2014 not the pressure of facing Crawford, not the pressure of facing Vergil Ortiz, but the pressure\u2026 of a tune-up.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s like LeBron vowing to \u201cmake a statement\u201d at preseason basketball.<\/p>\n
Fans asked for steak. Eddie Hearn served microwaved hot dogs.<\/p>\n
If Boots Were Cut From Crawford\u2019s Cloth<\/p>\n
Crawford\u2019s cloth is cut from risk. When he moved up, he fought killers. When he unified, he unified against champions. When he was frozen out, he smashed the door down.<\/p>\n
If Boots were made of the same material, his first fight at 154 would be Vergil Ortiz. That\u2019s what Crawford would have done.<\/p>\n
Instead, we\u2019re getting Lima. Which is like saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to prove myself in the co-main event of a Tuesday night ShoBox card.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Champion Nobody Wants to Be<\/p>\n
Boots Ennis has talent. That\u2019s not in question. But until he faces someone who matters, he\u2019ll remain king of a division nobody respects: the Tune-Up League. His crown is cardboard, his throne is invisible, his belt is imaginary.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s put it in writing:<\/p>\n
Jaron \u201cBoots\u201d Ennis \u2014 undefeated, untested, and undisputed Champion of Tune-Ups.<\/p>\n
Crawford belongs to history. Boots belongs to Netflix \u2014 with Tune-Up Season 2: Boots vs Lima streaming soon.<\/p>\n