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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Matchroom Boxing won today’s Jaron Ennis-Cody Crowley IBF welterweight title purse bid at $3.9 million, sources tell ESPN. TGB Promotions, which has Crowley on the short end of an 85-15 split, bid $2 million.
Hearn told ESPN on Friday he plans to hold Ennis’ next fight in July at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. “Boots” Ennis is slated to earn $3,315,000 while Crowley would take home $585,000, assuming he proceeds with the bout.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) is a rising star who will make the first defense of his 147-pound title. The 26-year-old Philadelphian signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom earlier this month. He previously fought exclusively on Showtime, which ceased sports programming at the end of last year.
Now that Ennis is linked with a major promoter, he’s hoping to establish himself as an attraction in Philadelphia, a city rich with boxing history and once a hotbed for the sport.
“Everybody in Philly’s been waiting for this,” Ennis told ESPN on Friday in New York. “There hasn’t been a fight in Philly in a while or even a big fight. … Nobody’s fought at the Wells Fargo Center yet. They haven’t had a big fight [in Philadelphia] in a long time.”
Ennis himself hasn’t fought in Philadelphia since November 2018, when he was still a top prospect. Rated No. 3 by ESPN at welterweight, Ennis was elevated to champion in November when Crawford was stripped.
With Crawford and Spence – ESPN’s top two 147-pounders – set to both move up to 154 pounds, Ennis is in position to take control of the division. Hearn said he wants Ennis to unify the division.
Mario Barrios is the WBC interim champion while Eimantas Stanionis is the WBA “regular” champion. Both fighters are expected to be elevated with Crawford set to challenge Israil Madrimov for his junior middleweight title on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
“I think they’re achievable, realistic fights because [Stanionis and Barrios] need a big fight and he will be the big fight for them,” said Hearn. “…We’ve got to make a massive push in Philadelphia – massive. And we’ve got to get this Crowley fight done and we’ve got to get it announced.”
Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 5 welterweight. The 31-year-old Canadian is coming off a majority-decision win over Abel Ramos last March. Crowley could always elect to instead fight Frenchman Souleymane Cissokho in a WBC title eliminator.
Ennis last fought in July when he scored a 10th-round KO victory over Roiman Villa.