Jaron Ennis-Eimantas-Stanionis: Stats and Stakes
Welterweights unify to reignite the division on DAZN
The down times in boxing are unavoidable.
The sports can ebb hot and cold, especially division by division.
At welterweight, the down times always seem shorter.
Since the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence clash, welterweight has been adrift. That was less than two years ago. In a division with a champion’s roster that includes the names Walker, Armstrong, Robinson, Griffith, Napoles, Leonard, and Mayweather, two years is a lengthy stretch.
Saturday night in Atlantic City (DAZN, 8 PM), welterweight gets back to business. Two of the best (in some rankings the two best, period) at 147 pounds will lock horns with two major titles on the line. The victor will be the clear leader of the class, giving it a clarity it has lacked during this lull.
Best of all: this could end up being a fan friendly affair. Ennis is a clear betting favorite. Do the oddsmakers have it right?
Let’s get into it.
Stats and Stakes
Jaron Ennis
Age: 27
Title: IBF Welterweight (2023-Present, 2 Defenses)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’10
Weight: 146 ½ lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Record: 33-0, 29 KO
Press Rankings: #1 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN, BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 2-0, 1 KO (4-0, 2 KO including interim title fights)
Last Five Opponents: 123-8-2 (.932)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Sergey Lipinets KO6; Romain Villa KO10; David Avanesyan RTD5
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None
Vs.
Eimantas Stanionis
Age: 30
Title: WBA Welterweight (2024-Present, 0 Defenses)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’9
Weight: 146 ¾ lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Kaunas, Lithuania
Record: 15-0, 9 KO
Press Rankings: #2 (Ring, ESPN), #5 (TBRB), #7 (BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 1st Title fight (2-0 in WBA sub-title fights)
Last Five Opponents: 103-15-3 (.864)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Radzhab Butaev SD12; Gabriel Maestre UD12
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None
The Case for Stanionis: The Lithuanian is an exceptional pressure fighter with excellent fundamentals and balance. While Ennis appears quicker on tape, Stanionis has good hand speed and puts his combinations together well. His uppercut is crisp and short, he’s very good at using his jab to close range, and he has a good hook to the body. His defense relies more on blocking and parrying than head movement but he can be effective at catching and shooting back with authority. If he can get past the longer arms of Ennis enough in the first half to steal a couple rounds and mount some punishment, Stanionis’s relentless attack could give him a serious chance to win a decision down the stretch.
The Case for Ennis: Ennis has been on the radar of many a boxing follower as the next great welterweight for quite some time. He couldn’t get Crawford in the ring but at 27 his time can start now. Will that pressure follow him into the ring as motivation or albatross? We’ll find out. Ennis is taller, quicker, and holds a significant advantage in arm length and reach (approximately six inches on the latter according to BoxRec). Ennis was touched a lot in the Karen Chukhadzhian rematch and has been open to right hands in other fights. Is that a flaw in his armor or something he can shore up with better defensive responsibility? If the latter, he can be very hard to beat on Saturday.
The Pick: There is almost an assumption in most corners that Ennis will win. There are lots noting that the odds might bee too wide…that Stanionis is being underestimated…but almost none of those observations are being followed with picks for Stanionis. The reason is while Stanionis looks like a good fighter heading in, Ennis looks like a better one. The operative word is looks. Neither man has faced the tippy top of the welterweight division yet and their best wins are at roughly the same level.
It’s what makes this fight so easy to look forward to.
This isn’t a Spence-Crawford or Leonard-Hearns where the division has been whittled down to two. For one man on Saturday, this is the real beginning of whatever they are going to accomplish. Someone will come out of this the most proven they have ever been. In a best case scenario, they will push each other in a way that proves them worthy to carry the welterweight tradition forward.
Like most, the pick here is Ennis but we won’t really know what we have until this one unfolds.
Rold Picks 2025: 10-9