Former champion Paulie Malignaggi has stated Jaron Ennis may be too formidable for Terence Crawford at this stage of his career. Citing Crawford’s age of 38, Malignaggi believes Ennis represents a greater challenge than the versions of opponents Crawford has recently defeated.
While analysts like Chris Algieri and Dan Canobbio have backed Crawford in a hypothetical contest, Malignaggi offers a contrasting view. He argues that the current iteration of Ennis, who recently defeated Xander Zayas, is operating at a level that could overwhelm the ageing pound-for-pound great. Malignaggi does not believe the fight is likely to happen, but he questions the outcome if it did.
He explained his reasoning, comparing Ennis directly to Crawford’s recent high-profile opponents. “I think Ennis is probably higher level than the [Errol] Spence that he fought and the [Israil] Madrimov that he fought and the Canelo that he fought. So, you know, there might be a little bit too much biting off more than you can chew at the age Crawford is at, you know, but I don’t see Crawford coming back to fight Ennis. I’ll be honest with you,” said Malignaggi. His assessment positions Ennis not just as a young contender, but as a fighter in his prime who surpasses the specific versions of the elite names on Crawford’s recent record.
Instead of pursuing a Crawford fight he deems unlikely, Malignaggi suggested a more practical path forward for Ennis at junior middleweight. He identified several key matchups that would continue to build the Philadelphia fighter’s momentum and legacy.
“I think the conversation has to be with Virgil Ortiz. But the problem is Ortiz has these contract issues with Golden Boy that don’t seem to be getting resolved anytime soon. I think in the meantime, the easiest fight to probably make is the Josh Kelly fight.” Malignaggi’s comments outline a clear strategy for Ennis: a logical unification bout with Kelly could serve as a precursor to a major fight against unified champion Sebastian Fundora, a contest he feels would be a genuine superfight.
