Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis begins life as a super welterweight tonight when he takes on Uisma Lima for the vacant WBA interim title at 154lbs live on DAZN.
Naturally an orthodox fighter, Ennis has found great success switching to a southpaw stance when taking on opponents. Ennis’ ability to keep foes on their toes has helped him to a record of 34-0 (30 KOs) as well as two world titles at welterweight.
Still not a common sight in boxing, a handful of world champions have used switch-hitting to great effect over the years.
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Marvin Hagler
Nicknamed Marvelous for a very good reason, Marvin Hagler was a force to be reckoned with at middleweight. Aside from an iron chin and fastidious work ethic, Hagler stood out among his peers thanks to his ability to slip between an orthodox and his more natural southpaw stance.
Whilst being comfortable in either stance naturally gives a fighter an advantage, forcing an opponent to adjust, Hagler took this skill to another level, using it to set up certain shots.
Sometimes the prideful Hagler would remain in an orthodox stance just to prove his ability fighting in an unnatural way. In his final fight against Sugar Ray Leonard, Hagler fought as an orthodox for the first rounds, ultimately losing the contest on a split decision.
He would retire with a record of 62 wins, three losses, and two draws, with 52 victories by way of knockout. On top of that, he reigned as undisputed champion of the middleweight division in both the two-belt and three-belt eras, winning 12 straight world title fights.
Terence Crawford
Another natural southpaw, the versatile Terence Crawford has not just dominated one weight class like Hagler – but instead has completely conquered three separate divisions.
A holder of all four belts at super lightweight, welterweight, and super middleweight, Crawford is a five-division champion currently eyeing up further glory at the age of 38. Just like Hagler, Crawford is extremely confident in his abilities – stating before his victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez that he was the best switch-hitter of all time.
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He told Netflix: “I think that I am the best switch-hitter ever.
“There isn’t a fighter that I can think of that can do it so naturally and can fight at a peak level, whether being an orthodox or southpaw.”
It’s not a recent claim, or at least just an extension of previous comments, with Crawford claiming that he was the best switch-hitter in the world back in 2020.
‘Bud’ uses his ability to flit between stances to control fights, dictating ring positioning and timing his opponents. Rather than having to back up and reset when changing foot positioning, Crawford is able to switch stances in between punches, often setting up shots while standing orthodox before going for a heavy shot as a southpaw, and vice versa.
Tyson Fury
A contemporary of Crawford, Tyson Fury is of a starkly different build to ‘Bud’. The towering heavyweight is naturally an orthodox fighter, but the ‘Gypsy King’ has frequently surprised opponents by switching to a southpaw stance.
Already boasting tremendous physical power and an uncanny ability to take a punch – and get back to his feet – Fury has confused heavyweights with his switch-hitting skill.
Demonstrating fantastic footwork for a bigger fighter, notable wins for Fury using switch-hitting include his battles with domestic rivals Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.
Speaking ahead of his 2022 clash with Whyte, Fury explained: “We all know I’m ambidextrous and can punch with both hands, I’ve had knockout wins with my right and my left so I’m just sharpening it all up and ready to rock and roll.”
Naseem Hamed
Prince Naseem was the king of showboating, and arguably there is no higher form of showing off in boxing than being able to switch stances at will. Free-flowing and evasive with his movement, it is no surprise that Naseem Hamed could slip between stances. Although Hamed was flashy, he was very effective, and that also applied to his switch-hitting.
Naturally elusive, Hamed was non-stop in the ring, often bouncing between stances like it was nothing. But the stance changes were not just for show.
He had similar power in both hands, arguably being as ambidextrous as Fury. Already awkward to deal with in his natural southpaw approach, Hamed could walk opponents on to a flurry of punches by simply stepping into an orthodox stance. A world champion at featherweight, Hamed retired with a record of 37 wins and one loss – and a long-standing legacy of entertainment inside the ring.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
The latest fighter to turn heads with his switch-hitting, Ennis shares the same confidence in his ability as his predecessors.
Unable to completely unify the welterweight division due to struggles making weight, ‘Boots’ has already put the 154lbs division on alert that he intends to grab all four belts at super welterweight.
His father and trainer, Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis, certainly believes in his son’s ability. He told Tru School Sports in June 2022: “Boots is powerful on both sides. He can knock you out on the southpaw side, or on the orthodox side. He’s comfortable, and a lot of times you don’t know when he is switching.”
Incredibly smooth between both stances, the 28-year-old Ennis has been a switch-hitter since his debut – starting his first fight in an orthodox stance before changing to his natural southpaw positioning inside the first minute of his knockout win over Matt Murphy in 2016.
For Ennis, he uses the ability to mix-up his stance to land straight, powerful shots.
So well-known for his switch-hitting, Ennis was brought into Canelo Alvarez’s camp as the ideal preparation for Crawford last month.
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