Another Boot Strap – Boxing News 24

Jaron “Boots” Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) overwhelmed Atlantic City’s Eimantas Stanionis (15-1, 9 KOs) and added the WBA Welterweight Championship to IBF Belt. The Boardwalk Hall had obvious energy as the building held its first major title fight since 2014 when Sergei Kovalev beat Bernard Hopkins. Tyrees Maxey, the Philadelphia 76ers point guard, walked Ennis, a native of Philadelphia, to the ring.

Ennis sets the tone with a stinging jab. Stanionis had some successes, but Ennis had no real answer. Ennis seamlessly switched his stance and changed his attacks between his head and body. By the sixth round, the results were a natural conclusion when the boots succumbed when they stitched Stanionis together with their knees in a body shot combination. Stanionis trainer Marvin Somodio chose to suspend Ennis’ masterclass and not send back the fighter jets towards the seventh round.

Ennis was receiving criticism for his last few performances. Was the boots the next big thing in boxing, or did the hype not match his results in the ring? Ennis was a 6/1 favorite to take part in the match, but Stanionis came in as a reliable opponent many observers saw as the second best welterweight in the world. Ennis showed why most observers view him as the top dog in the welterweight division. After the match, Ennis repeated the feelings: “When I fight the man with the top guy, you see another me. When I’m fighting for something, it’s a completely different story. No one will ruin me.”

The match helped to draw the hierarchy at 147 pounds. The division has been confused since Terrence Crawford hit Errol Spence, whom he patted on Panmealed, when he moved to the 154-pound weight class two years ago and became an indisputable champion before leaving all four welterweight championships.

Winning Saturday night, Ennis is holding two of four welterweight championships. Brian Norman Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) is the WBC champion, and Mario Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) is the WBO champion. Ennis previously stated that his goal is to win all four welterweight belts before moving on to the 154-pound weight class.

Last November, Ennis and Norman Jr. were approaching the fight to unify the two welterweight championships. Ennis had already been beaten convincingly when Ennis pivoted to face Karen Chukazian instead, both sides couldn’t agree to compensation for Norman’s match. Ennis easily won by overwhelming victory. Ironically, Norman Jr. would have been unable to meet that November date. Due to an injury at training camp, Norman underwent a second surgery on his left hand.

Norman Jr. recovered from the process, and the 24-year-old defeated Derrick Quebas in his first defense of the WBC Championship at the end of March. Following the knockout victory, Norman Jr. called for WBO champion Mario Barrios. “Barrios babysits a belt that is about to hide in the corner. Let’s go outside and make it happen.”

WBO champion Mario Barrios is intriguing for several reasons. His final match was on the Jake Paul Mike Tyson Netflix card, which undoubtedly produced a night’s fight with an exciting draw against Abel Ramos. Norman Jr. has called out Barrios, but Barrios is not short of potential challengers. Over the past few months, Barrios has been summoned by Connor Ben, Danny Garcia, Manny Pacquiao and others. It’s debate whether or not he’s calling him, as these camps and others see the Barrio as a draw due to their exposure on Netflix, or because the WBO welterweight championship is ripe for picking.

As one of the glamour weight classes in boxing, the welterweight division is the host of many great fighters and is dominated by many legendary fighters. After Terence Crawford destroys the division and moves to 154 pounds, a power vacuum appears. It was questionable whether Jaron’s “boots” Ennis was supposed to fill in the welterweight kingpin shoes. At a show at the Boardwalk Hall, Ennis ended those suspicions. Whether it’s Mario Barrios, Brian Norman Jr., or another challenger, anyone who wants to take on Jaron Ennis and gain a welterweight advantage will bring combat boots.