Jaron "Boots" Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis meet to unify two welterweight titles Saturday night in Atlantic City, New Jersey (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET).
Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs), the IBF champion, is making the third defense of his belt. He defeated Karen Chukhadzhian by unanimous decision in November, in a fight where he dropped Chukhadzhian in Round 5 and won by scorecards of 119-107, 117-109 and 116-110. Ennis had beaten Chukhadzhian previously in January 2023, winning every round in all three judges' scorecards.
Ennis, who's trained by his father, Derek "Bozy" Ennis, has a rare combination of power and speed and has won five of his last seven fights by stoppage. He has great footwork and can throw punches from any angle. His goal is to collect all four major welterweight titles before moving to 154 pounds.
"I'm here to collect all the belts and I'm locked in on Stanionis," said Ennis during a training session Monday in Philadelphia. "Win on Saturday and I'm the WBA, IBF and Ring magazine champion, and then we'll see what's next. But I am zoned in on Stanionis, no doubt. ... I'm No. 1 in the division, he's No. 2, I'm dialed in. I'm so focused on this."
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) was the WBA "regular" welterweight champion and then elevated to full champion when Terence Crawford moved up to junior middleweight to face Israil Madrimov in August 2024. Stanionis didn't fight in 2023 after a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. was postponed multiple times. Stanionis, who trains at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, said he had a strong camp and he's been "grinding nonstop."
"Every day I walk into that gym, I treat it like a fight," Stanionis said while training in Los Angeles on Tuesday. "I'm locked in and hungry. This is the best version of me the world has ever seen.
"Ennis is slick, explosive, and they say he's the future of the division. That's why I signed the contract. ...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."
Can Ennis take advantage of his better boxing skills, keep Stanionis at a distance and land his combinations? Will Stanionis be able to get inside and punish Ennis to the body to try to slow him down? Andres Ferrari spoke to boxing commentator and former junior middleweight champion Raul Marquez, former junior lightweight title contender Thomas Dulorme -- who fought both Ennis and Stanionis -- and welterweight contender Roiman Villa, who fought Ennis in 2023. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker added his analysis on the main event and on the junior lightweight bout between Raymond Ford and Thomas Mattice, who fight on the co-main event.
Editor's note: Content has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Raul Marquez, boxing analyst, former junior middleweight champion
The matchup
I remember when I covered Ennis the first time at Showbox and was impressed. He's got many dimensions. He attacks from different angles. He's got a game plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G -- he adapts to any kind of style. On the other hand, Stanionis is strong. He's got power. He's got decent speed. But Ennis is a technician. He's very athletic, he's very creative, he's very smart. He's got good power. He's got great speed.
How does Ennis win this fight?
The hardest thing for an Ennis opponent to figure out is the way he attacks you from different angles, how he switches from right to left and throws three- and four-punch combinations -- and he's being creative with those combinations. It is never the same. That's what confuses the other fighters. So, for Ennis to win, he needs to use his athleticism, his speed, his boxing IQ. He's always thinking ahead.
Ennis has great footwork and upper-body movement. You never find him. When you are ready to set up a punch, he's not there anymore. When he's moving from right to left, you don't even realize he's doing it -- it comes naturally to him -- and that's why he catches you with those shots because you don't know where they are coming from.
How does Stanionis win this fight?
He needs to impose his strength, his power. Stanionis throws some good combinations. He's a smart, experienced guy. He knows what he's doing in the ring, since he comes from a good amateur background and he's been in the ring with some other good, experienced guys. To win, he's going to have to walk Ennis down but be smart and don't give up. He might lose some early rounds, but you've got to invest in a body attack early on. Hit Ennis on the body, arms -- forget about the head, because it's going to be hard to hit the head. Try to break him, try to get him tired, and hopefully in the second half of the fight, Stanionis has more success. By wearing Ennis down, he could stop Ennis' mobility and speed. And once Ennis gets tired, things are different. So take him into deep waters. That's Stanionis' only chance.
Stanionis needs to do that behind a really good jab. He cannot single punch. Even though he might feel that he's going to get hit, Stanionis might have to take one shot, two shots, three shots to get one in. In order to get closer to Ennis, he's going to have to jab his way in with a lot of faints, a lot of waist movement and, of course, being cautious. But he's got to cut that distance. He's got to make the ring smaller for Ennis, make it a phone booth fight. Stanionis is not going to outbox Ennis. There's no way.
His plan should be to make the ring small, cut the distance behind a fast, hard jab. Change the jab up, too -- hard jab, touching jab, fast jab to the body and head and arms -- hoping that he wears Ennis down after the sixth round. And then try what I call the turnaround. Stanionis might lose some early rounds, but in the second half of the fight he could take over. It takes a really good fighter in great shape to beat another really skillful fighter that's in great shape. Breaking him down is the only way to do it. You're not going to outbox a guy like that.
Who wins?
I'll go with Ennis by decision.
Thomas Dulorme, former junior welterweight title contender
How does Ennis win this fight?
I think he should keep his distance. Stanionis sits on his punches, has a lot of power and can hit. Ennis needs to use his speed, his clean boxing. If he does that, he won't have any problems. But if he lets Stanionis come forward and cut the distance and do his job, he'll have problems.
Stanionis will be in front of Ennis, coming forward. He may not have the best technique, but he's a fighter who will always come forward and throw punches. During my training for the fight with Ennis, we focused on his right hand and left hook. In the short time the fight lasted [Ennis KO'd Dulorme at 1:49 of the first round], I was able to counter him very easily. But Ennis has very good defense and movement in the ring. To win, he must keep his distance and not let Stanionis get him at close range. If Stanionis allows Ennis space, Ennis will pick up his pace and it's going to be a tough night for Stanionis.
How does Stanionis win this fight?
If Stanionis manages to exchange or throw punches at the same time as Ennis, he can hurt him. Stanionis sits on his punches, but Ennis is more athletic and has more movement. So, if Stanionis waits to build a defense before counterpunching, Ennis won't be there anymore. To put Ennis in trouble, Stanionis must throw his punches at the same time as Ennis and not let him reset his defense.
When we fought, we didn't want to give Ennis space. If Stanionis is successful doing that -- and Stanionis has a good punch -- he can win. Stanionis has to be tough and fight dirty, pushing and punching from any angle when he's at close range. Don't let Ennis get into a rhythm, because if he does, and he has his distance, it'll be difficult for Stanionis. I can give you an example. Marcos Maidana fought Adrien Broner. Maidana had a style like Stanionis -- staying in one place, planted, attacking without great technique -- but he was a great fighter and he did what he had to do. He closed the distance and got in front of Broner, knocked him down twice and won the fight. Stanionis should do the same. The important thing in every fight is the result, no matter how he wins.
Who wins?
It's going to be a good fight. I'm leaning toward the boxer and I think Ennis wins by knockout. They both hit hard, but whoever manages to take control of the distance will win. And that's Ennis.
Roiman Villa, welterweight contender
How does Ennis win this fight?
I fought Ennis, and he's a tough fighter to face. [Ennis beat him by 10th-round TKO in 2023.] I haven't fought Stanionis, but he's a tank who moves forward. Ennis lands inside punches very well, and Stanionis fights with an open guard. Ennis is hard to find; he moves very well. I'm a fighter who is willing to take a few punches to land my own, but the problem with doing that against Ennis is that he's very hard to hit. He gets into the ropes, and even while on the ropes, he's hard to hit. And when he hits you, it feels like someone's thrown a brick at your head.
And it's not just his power. Ennis has good footwork and waist movement. Andy Cruz, who's working with Ennis, says Ennis is very hard to hit. Imagine that, with Cruz being a two-time Olympic champion. When I fought Ennis, I wanted to hit him once compared to the three he hit me with, but I couldn't hit him. He'd get on the ropes and start moving and moving. He has a good left hand. He throws inside punches, too, and you don't see them because he's a fast fighter. He moves at an angle and throws uppercuts inside. Against Stanionis, who fights with an open guard, those punches are going to get inside. And if Ennis doesn't knock him down, he will still hurt him.
How does Stanionis win this fight?
Stanionis has to pressure him, but carefully. He can't let him think because Ennis is a clever, intelligent fighter. He's complete. There are boxers who hit but aren't fast, and some who are fast but don't hit. Ennis is fast, he hits, he moves, he's smart, he's cunning, he studies you. There's not much Stanionis can do. I fought Rashidi Ellis, who is faster than Ennis, and I took all the punches from Ellis and from Ennis, too. The problem is that against Ennis, eventually I got tired from the punches I took. If Ennis hits you in the nose, he'll break it. If he hits you in the head, he'll knock you out and your hair won't grow back.
Who wins?
I'm going for Ennis. I don't know if it'll be by KO. Maybe. Stanionis is strong and throws good punches, but I'm going with Ennis.
Ian Parker's best bets
Jaron Ennis vs. Eimantas Stanionis
Ennis, a 6-1 favorite, has the edge in all aspects of the fight and I expect him to put on a stellar performance in what should be an action-packed fight. If you strongly feel that Ennis is going to win, you can place equal wagers on him to win by KO/TKO and to win by decision. If he wins by either method, and you bet the same amount on both outcomes, you would be profitable. If you want to take the safer route, make Ennis the anchor of a parlay and enjoy the cashout at the end of the night.
Raymond Ford vs. Thomas Mattice
Sitting as a -1400 favorite, Ford will be looking to make a statement. At that betting number, it wouldn't be of any value to put Ford in a parlay. However, there is a play that sticks out and that's to take Ford to win by decision at -170. I think this will be a more competitive fight than the odds scream, and based off of Ford's last two fights going to decision, I can see the same thing happening here.