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A medical concern for Canadian boxer Cody Crowley has forced his IBF welterweight title fight scheduled for July 13 against Jaron Ennis to be delayed. Crowley had double-eye surgery last November. He shared on social media earlier this week that due to fluid accumulating around his right eye, he’s not been medically cleared to fight Ennis. The fight was scheduled for July 13 in Philadelphia with Ennis defending his title in the 147-pound weight class. Unfortunately for Crowley, this medical setback could prevent him from taking the welterweight title away from Ennis. You can place your wager on whether that will happen casino-utan-svensk-licens.com.
The 31-year-old Crowley said in his post that his eye is healing. However, his retina continues to experience fluid accumulation, which is having a negative impact on his vision. As a result, his fitness for the July 13 fight doesn’t meet Pennsylvania Athletic Commission standards. Crowley says he hopes to get back to fighting soon and will continue to consult with eye doctors in the days and weeks to come.
Crowley hasn’t fought since March 2023 when he defeated Abel Ramos to improve his career record to 22-0. He appeared to be as good of a candidate as any to challenge Ennis for his title. However, his emergency double-eye surgery last November changed that, calling into question whether this fight will happen at all.
Despite Crowley not being fully healed, this fight was announced last month with a purse of $3.9 million. Given the 85-15 split, Crowley was only set to earn $585,000 of that purse with Ennis taking home more than $3.3 million. Meanwhile, betting action for the Crowley-Ennis matchup was likely to increase soon with the fight a little more than a month away with most boxing betting sites offering a variety of markets for fights in all corners of the world.
For Crowley, the fight with Ennis was supposed to be an opportunity for the no. 6 ranked welterweight fighter to raise his profile. Instead, he’s been dealt with a setback that could potentially put his future in boxing in jeopardy.
“While I am devastated by this news, I have peace in my heart,” says Crowley. “A situation not in my control. Everything (that is) in my control, I've given 100% to myself in preparation for this fight.”
As for Ennis, he and his representatives now have the task of finding a replacement. It doesn’t appear that he’s willing to wait until Crowley sorts out the issues with his eye. Having not fought since his knockout of Roiman Villa last July, Ennis seems eager to get back in the ring. Specifically, he is hoping to get in front of fans in Philadelphia, which has a long and proud tradition for boxing.
"Everybody in Philly's been waiting for this," Ennis said last month in anticipation of his July date with Crowley. “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.”
Much like Crowley, Ennis holds a perfect record as a pro boxer. His win over Villa last summer made him 31-0 and allowed him to retain the interim IBF welterweight title. Ennis became the IBF welterweight champion last November when Terence Crawford was stripped of the title. That would have made his fight with Crowley the first time Ennis stepped into the ring as the permanent welterweight title holder. He’s no doubt eager to prove between the ropes that he deserves to be considered a champion.
As it stands, Ennis will still get that opportunity in Philadelphia on July 13. The only question is who will step in for Crowley as his opponent. Three names that have been floated as possible replacements are Gabriel Valenzuela, David Avanesyan, and Shakhram Giyasov.
Valenzuela is based in Mexico and holds a 28-3-1 record with 17 knockouts. Avanesyan is the oldest of that trio at age 35. He’s a Russian-born Armenian with a 30-4-1 record with one of those losses coming against Crawford, the previous welterweight champ. Finally, there is Giyasov, a 30-year-old from Uzbekistan who won a Silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
With the news of Crowley being forced out of the right with Ennis still fresh, it’s too soon to say who will match up against Ennis at the Wells Fargo Center in July. However, it does appear as if the fight will go on, just not without Crowley, whose career is now at a crossroads.
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