IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) will face WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) in a two-fight unification clash at 147 on April 12, live on DAZN from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
This is the unification match that Ennis, 27, has been pining for since being promoted to IBF welterweight champion in November 2023. Boots needs an impressive performance in this fight, as he has looked average in of his last four fights against Karen Chukhadzhian x 2., David Avanesyan and Roiman Villa.
Ennis’ decision to turn down a bigger payday in a fight that would have made him a starter against interim WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on next month’s Riyadh season card on Feb. 22 makes even more critical that he shines against Stanionis.
Boxing fans believe Boots is a fighter who lacks ambition and self-confidence after being trained twice by Chukhadzhian.
Stanionis is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision win over Gabriel Maestre on May 4 of last year. He looked better in this fight than Ennis did in his last four fights.
“It’s just a brilliant fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “When we signed Boots, I told him we would provide him with unifications, so it’s great to cross the finish line for Jaron, and I know that with the biggest fight of his career right in front of him, he is going to shine brighter than ever. Eimantas is a brilliant fighter, and he is without a doubt the number 1 and number 2 in the division.