February 25, 2024
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Published Sun Feb 25, 2024, 11:03 AM EST
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Coach Bozy Ennis was pleased his Cuban hotshot Andy Cruz banked 10 rounds in just his third professional fight, winning every session against Mexican Brayan Zamarripa.
Cruz went to 3-0 (1 KO) at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, and afterwards said the fight had been like a sparring session.
“I thought he did a great job tonight,” said the Philadelphia trainer, and father of welterweight star Jaron Ennis. “He [Cruz] had a guy that was supposed to be putting pressure on him, but he was mostly running and tying you up. If he had stood there and fought, he would have stopped him.”
Asked by IFL TV whether he was satisfied with Cruz’s trajectory in the professionals so far, Ennis added: “Oh yeah, you see he picked up a lot of defense, he didn’t hardly get hit out of the whole 10 rounds.”
Talks have circulated around the possibility of Cruz renewing his amateur rivalry with Keyshawn Davis. Cruz has said it’s over to Davis if they want to box as pros, and Ennis would be happy to see them meet in a rerun of the Tokyo Olympic final, which Cruz won.
Ennis has faith in Matchroom, and is confident they will make the right moves for the Cuban.
“Whatever they [Matchroom] say, I’m just the trainer,” said Ennis, asked about the possibility of meeting Davis. “I don’t control that, but I think he’s ready for him [Davis] right now. I think by this time next year, he [Cruz] would have already achieved something, by winning a title or something. He’s on the right track now.”
Asked to call out lightweight targets, Ennis replied: “Whoever has got the titles, but we’ve still got to work our way up to the titles.”
Boots has been enduring contractual issues and has been called to fight Cody Crowley by the IBF, but Ennis said he had not spoken with Matchroom through the week about his son, because he was in Florida on Cruz business.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has made no secret of his admiration for Ennis of late, but Bozy was not interested in talking about that.
“It’s not Boots time, it’s Andy time,” he said.
He did, however, reveal that Boots had been paired with Mario Barrios on March 30, until Barrios withdrew, and was then asked about his son being mentioned as a possible opponent for Englishman Conor Benn.
“No, for what?” said Ennis. “Conor Benn doesn’t have nothing that we want. We want to clean the 147 division out, clean the titles up and then we move to 154.”
The current welterweight king is Terence Crawford, but he has said fighting Boots is unlikely, although Bozy thinks his son will be able to pick up the belts when Crawford vacates.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Ennis said of Boots-Crawford. “He [Crawford] already said that, Crawford is going to get a big fight and move on, he said Boots is the new guy at 147.”
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