Keith Thurman reveals he is open to a fight against an on-form Jaron 'Boots' Ennis

Keith Thurman was not impressed with Jaron Ennis's super welterweight debut

It took Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (35-0, 31 KO’s) less than a round to dismantle Uisma Lima last weekend. 

The fight marks his first at 154 lbs, with the American looking to challenge those at the top of the division. 

He may not have been in the division long, but the 28-year-old already looks to have ruffled some feathers in the division. 

Keith Thurman (31-1, 23 KO’s) - who takes on Sebastian Fundora on October 25 for the WBC strap - revealed to Fight Hype TV that he was neither surprised nor overly impressed with Ennis’s phenomenal performance over the weekend.

“I think that’s what you get when you pick your tune-ups,” he stated.

“I don’t know who he fought and I know I don’t know a lot of people because I’m a family man and I’m not doing a lot of reporter analytical work these days, but I know a lot of people who didn’t know who he fought so that reassured me that I’m not the only one.

However, he did still commend the performance, which saw his counterpart fluidly and ferociously break down Lima on route to a first-round stoppage.

“But Boots is Boots. He smelled blood in the first round and he handled it. I mean, he was coming out nice and calm, the kid just couldn’t weather the storm. Once it goes downhill, it goes downhill quick. So that’s the one thing about Boots, he is a good finisher if he can get you in that danger zone.

“He’s definitely looking strong at ‘54 and he’s definitely going to be a threat for anybody. I think Charlo called him out and different things, and there’s a lot more talent at ‘54 before you want to crown yourself king with one first round knockout with a handpicked opponent.

“ There’s some good talent at 154 so you handle the business against a more solid opponent like the winner of Vergil vs Lubin or get Charlo on his comeback fight…”

The conversation quickly moved on to whether the 27-year-old sees ‘Boots’ as a future opponent. With Fundora not brushing the idea off, he revealed that conversations amongst his team have already taken place. 

“I’ve always seen him as a future potential opponent. I wish when he was with PBC, I wish there was a little more transparency,” Fundora stated

“I heard his name come up once for the first time in my career, right? Sometimes they’re like ‘what about this guy?’ If I’ve never even heard in negotiations for my upcoming fights then it’s not even on the table. So the first time I heard Boots Ennis name hit the table, they gave me three options.

“I had a simple conversation, I said ‘you give me one of these two guys, and then you throw me Boots.’ If you want Thurman vs Boots, all you got to say is ‘Keith, the best fight we got for you right now, the best thing we can do, and almost the only thing we can do for you - unless you really don’t want it - is Boots Ennis. Do you want him or not?’

“If it was presented to me like that ya’ll would’ve already saw Thurman vs Boots…”