The retired four-division world champion said Ennis has become the latest fighter to receive overwhelming acclaim from followers, something Crawford believes can alter how a boxer views his own standing relative to his opposition. He insisted he wants Ennis to succeed but feels the spotlight has changed the tone surrounding the unified junior middleweight champion.

“I want to see him win. I want to see him go far as he can, but I think people do the same thing with Boots as they did with Spence, right? It’s our people, it’s the urban community that does it. ‘Boots this, Boots knock you out.’ Then the people that support me say this and that, and some fighters start getting caught up in that. Then people query them about it, and it’s, ‘Oh man, he easy work.’ I ain’t easy work. That’s just disrespectful,” said Crawford to The Real Report with Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda.

The former undisputed champion also rejected the suggestion that he dislikes Ennis, pointing to backing he gave the Philadelphia native long before their recent exchange on social media.

“What I have to hate on him for? I supported him in the Olympic Trials. I’ve been in the locker room at his fights supporting him. Why would I need to hate on him?”

Crawford also noted that comparisons between their styles have followed Ennis for years, saying people were linking the two as far back as Ennis’ amateur days. He argued those comparisons naturally elevated Ennis’ profile and even joked that the younger champion should thank him for helping fuel that discussion.

His point was less about Ennis himself than the environment surrounding him. He believes the fan adulation has created a familiar script, one he experienced before facing Spence, where surrounding hype transforms respect into dismissive talk long before a contract gets signed.