Eimantas Stanionis (pictured) has promised to take Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis into the deepest waters he’s ever been to – and the WBA welterweight ruler believes he’ll ‘break and beat’ the IBF champion to unify two of the four titles in the welterweight division on Saturday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, live worldwide on DAZN. Stanionis (listed as 15-0, but 19-3 is the more accurate record taking into account paid fights in the World Series of Boxing) made a welcome return to the ring with a victory over Gabriel Maestre in Las Vegas in May, outpointing the Venezuelan in Las Vegas to retain the WBA regular title that he won back in April 2022 in Texas against Radzhab Butaev. The 30 year old, who represented Lithuania in the 2016 Olympic Games, was elevated to full champion in August when Terence Crawford vacated the WBA belt.
Both Ennis and Stanionis have been searching for unification bouts since landing their titles, and with the Ring Magazine title also on the line at a venue that has hosted the very best fighters on the planet, Stanionis has been working tirelessly at the famous Wild Card gym to make sure he is at his very best on the biggest night of his career.
“Camp at Wild Card has been a warzone—exactly how I like it. With Coach Marvin Somodio, we’ve been grinding non-stop. The sparring partners we worked with are monsters, they pushed me to the edge. Speed, defense, pressure—we’ve dialed in every weapon in I posses. Every day I walk into that gym, I treat it like a fight. I’m locked in, and hungry. This is the best version of me the world’s ever seen.
“Ennis is slick, explosive, and they say he’s the future of the division. That’s why I signed the contract. I don’t duck anyone—I run toward the fire. This isn’t gonna be a chess match. This is going to be a war. I’m stepping into that ring to test him, break him, and beat him. Let’s see how he handles real pressure.
“Beating Boots changes everything for me. It puts me on the throne of the Welterweight division and kicks the door open to pound-for-pound greatness. But this isn’t just about belts—this is about legacy. I fight to carve my name into the history books.”
“Every time I fight, I fight with Lithuania on my back. My people know struggle, they know toughness—and I carry that spirit into the ring. When I win, they win. This moment isn’t just for me—it’s for every single person back home who believes in the warrior I’ve become.”
