Eimantas Stanionis expresses confidence ahead of his bout against Jaron “Boots” Ennis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on April 12. The pair square off in a welterweight championship unification with two belts on the line.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) puts his WBA 147-pound title on the line. The 30-year-old native of Kaunas, Lithuania looks to dethrone Philadelphia’s undefeated Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs), claiming his IBF strap.
Unbeaten Stanionis said he is going to put pressure on “Boots” and claim victory in a dominant fashion. The latter recently stated he wants to collect all the belts.
“Camp at Wild Card has been a warzone – exactly how I like it,” Stanionis said following a recent training session at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Los Angeles. “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.”
In the co-feature to Ennis vs Stanionis, former champion Raymond Ford (16-1-1, 8 KOs) of Camden, NJ goes up against Thomas Mattice (22-4-1, 17 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio at super featherweight. Among the undercard bouts, Arturo Popoca (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Mexico and Christian Carto (23-1, 16 KOs) of Philadelphia battle it out at super bantamweight. Plus, Brooklyn-based Shakhram Giyasov (16-0, 9 KOs) of Uzbekistan faces Franco Maximiliano Ocampo (17-2, 8 KOs) of Argentina at welterweight.