Which Fighters Ducked Terence Crawford?

Three-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford alleged that Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. chose to avoid him when he was the WBO Welterweight Champion, as he ended up fighting Shawn Porter instead.

Crawford, who recently made history by defeating Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight last September, announced his retirement in December 2025. Crawford became only the sixth male boxer in history to win major world titles in five different weight classes alongside Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao.

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Crawford also became the first man in the four-belt era to be an undisputed champion in three weight classes (Junior Welterweight, Welterweight, and Super Middleweight). However, Bud revealed that Ennis and Ortiz chose a different path when they could have boxed him when he was at welterweight: "I had the opportunity to fight Boots but Boots chose to drop out of the WBO rankings, him and Vergil [Ortiz Jr.]. So that is why I ended up fighting Shawn Porter."

Implications

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Ennis Ortiz may have missed his best chance to achieve "legend" status early. In boxing, beating the "Pound-for-Pound" king is the fastest way to superstardom. By dropping out of the WBO rankings, he effectively removed himself from a mandatory position that would have forced a career-high payday and a chance at undisputed.

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At the time Crawford fought Shawn Porter, he was arguably at his absolute physical and tactical apex. For Vergil Ortiz Jr., who has dealt with significant health issues (rhabdomyolysis), entering a high-pressure training camp against a master technician like Crawford could have been physically devastating or career-ending if he wasn’t at 100%.

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