IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he’s going to go out and show he’s “one of the best fighters” in the sport next month in his unification against WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis on April 12th at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Adaptability Issues
Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) didn’t have much to say when told in an interview that people are saying he got exposed in his rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th, showing no ability to adapt to what he was doing inside the ring. Boots looked one-dimensional and unable to deal with the skills of the talented Ukrainian fighter.
The Matchroom-promoted Ennis, 27, isn’t saying whether he’ll stay at 147 to finish completing his goal of becoming the undisputed champion or move up to 154 to get bigger fights. Sounding like a broken record, Ennis repeatedly said he’s only focused on what’s in front of him in his fight against Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs). Before his last fight against Karen, Boots kept saying the same thing, “Wait until I have my fun” and the knockout is going to come.
He doesn’t seem to be able to change, and not just what he says from one interview to another, but also in the ring. Ennis fights the same way and looks confused when having to figure out a fighter showing skills. In hindsight, it’s a good thing that Terence Crawford didn’t fight him before leaving the 147-lb division. He’d have made Ennis look bad.
Boxing fans view Boots Ennis as a weight bully. He should be fighting at 154 but is choosing to stay in the weak 147-lb division because there’s no threat of him getting beaten repeatedly.
“Overrated” Label
They’re already viewing Ennis as being ‘overrated’ and not the guy that people had originally thought when he first started his career. It’s easy to look great when a fighter is being matched the way Ennis was at the start of his career. Now, he’s finally facing guys with ability; it’s clear he’s not the fighter that naive fans had first thought. In other words, Ennis is just another example of a hype job.
If Ennis were to move up to 154 to take the tough challenges in that weight class, his career would quickly go downhill if he couldn’t handle the talented killers in this division. Boots’ inability to adapt in his rematch with Karen last November suggests that he won’t do well at junior middleweight against the fighters who can punch and are capable of giving him different looks.
“I’m ready to show the world why I’m one of the best fighters in the world,” said Jaron Ennis to Fighthype about his April 12th unification fight against WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After that fight, everybody is calling my name. I guess it’s easier to get these guys in the ring,” said Boots Ennis, reacting to being told that people are saying he was ‘exposed’ by Karen Chukhadzhian in their rematch on November 9th last year.
It’s too late for Ennis to “show the world’ that he’s one of the best because Chukhadzhian has already exposed him as NOT being one of the elite. What Boots needs to do is run it back with Karen for a trilogy because he’s already been out-boxed in two fights and looked gawdawful in both. Moving on from that rivalry to fight Stanionis is a signal of defeat.
“Back then, they [Team Crawford] were saying that I was ‘high risk, low reward,’” said Ennis, putting a positive spin on him not getting a fight against Terence Crawford. “My goal is on April 12th to become the unified champion of the world. Collect this Ring Magazine and WBA belt, and from there, we’ll see what options we’re going to do. My goal is what is in front of me, and that’s Eimantas Stanionis and one of these belts.”
Ambition Questioned
See what I mean about Boots Ennis sounding like a broken record. He repeats himself like an older person and doesn’t seem to be able to change. Moreover, his decision to stay rooted on the spot at 147 shows both a lack of ambition and courage. He should be fighting at 154 rather than staying at 147 to complete his superficial goal of becoming undisputed.
It only means something to capture all four belts in a weight class if the division is stacked with talented champions. If it’s barren and lifeless, it’s a waste of time and does nothing for a fighter’s career; for Ennis not to grasp that tells you a lot about him.
“Like I said, my main focus is what’s in front of me,” said ‘Boots’ Ennis when asked if he’s going to fight Teofimo Lopez next rather than pursuing a unification fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. “As of right now, I’m still 147 lbs,” said Ennis on whether he’ll be moving up to 154 soon to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“I’m 147-pounder right now,” said Jaron when asked if he’d be interested in fighting Keith Thurman at 154. “When the time comes, and I’m at 154, we can talk about them other guys. But as of right now, I’m a 147-pounder.
IBF ✔️
WBA 🔜
Ring Magazine 🔜#EnnisStanionis | April 12 | Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/UooO4fYZqH— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 24, 2025
Last Updated on 03/24/2025
