Heading into the main event of the Matchroom Boxing card promoted by Eddie Hearn at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, fans were expecting a standout performance from Jaron Ennis—something that could silence the criticism he had received after his previous fight. And the American delivered in full. The crowd witnessed a commanding display by “Boots,” who unified the IBF and WBA welterweight titles by forcing Lithuanian Eimantas Stanionis to retire after six one-sided rounds, which included a knockdown.
Stanionis approached the bout without showing any reverence, trying to apply immediate pressure with his typical tight guard approach, while Ennis relied on a constant stream of stiff jabs, occasionally mixing in vicious uppercuts to the body.
Although the Lithuanian appeared determined and confident, the difference in speed and creativity was obvious from the opening minutes. Ennis switched stances effortlessly, varied his combinations and angles of attack, and reacted with the speed and precision of a computer whenever his opponent dared to throw.
A perfect example came in the third round, where Stanionis found an opening to land some well-crafted right hands while Boots was in a southpaw stance. But the American closed the round like a true champion, shifting gears and using his explosive physicality to push back the rugged Lithuanian fighter.
The Philadelphia native gradually took full control of the action, and in the fourth round, he even started playing to the crowd—putting on a bit of a show with taunting gestures and slick movements while overwhelming a bewildered Stanionis, who seemed out of answers and out of ideas.
The Lithuanian went all-in during the fifth round, launching a furious offensive and showcasing the best of his arsenal, but once again, after absorbing the onslaught without any real damage, it was Ennis who dominated the final minute. He made Stanionis bleed from the nose with crisp uppercuts, reaffirming his control of the fight.
It was that same uppercut that became the defining weapon of the sixth round. Back in the southpaw stance, Boots unleashed a torrential downpour of punches, with left uppercuts repeatedly splitting Stanionis’s guard and finding their mark to the head and body.
The accumulation of damage eventually forced the Lithuanian to take a knee and listen to the referee’s count. The WBA champion beat the count and managed to survive the round, but his corner wisely decided to stop the fight, which had by then become completely lopsided.
Mission accomplished for Jaron Ennis, who passed this test with flying colors and reminded the world of his boundless talent against a tough and determined opponent. Notably, the American showed great composure by not obsessively chasing the KO as he sometimes had in the past, instead boxing fluidly and only loading up when he saw clear openings.
Even his defense—often criticized in the past—looked sharper and more effective this time around. Many of Stanionis’s best shots were partially deflected by Boots thanks to his head and torso movement, which allowed him to minimize damage and quickly counter.
More was expected from Eimantas Stanionis, who had previously shown the ability to absorb heavy artillery in a back-and-forth war with hard-hitting Russian Radzhab Butaev. This time, however, he came up against a mountain too steep to climb and, unfortunately for him, demonstrated that even a very good fighter cannot match up with a truly elite one.
It will now be interesting to see whether Jaron Ennis will continue his quest to unify all the welterweight titles by challenging the remaining champions—Brian Norman Jr. (WBO) and Mario Barrios (WBC)—or if he’ll decide to move up in weight and test himself against the dangerous contenders at 154 pounds. Whatever he chooses to do, one thing is certain: anyone who loves boxing would be wise not to miss his next fights, because whenever the Philadelphia star steps into the ring, he puts on a show.