WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis says his management was never contacted by Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ team when he chose to turn down an offer to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his interim WBC title on the February 22 card in Riyadh. .
(Credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom)
Boots Dodging Unification?
Stanionis says it doesn’t seem right that IBF welterweight champion Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) chose not to fight Vergil Jr. at 154. He had heard that Ennis wanted to stay at 147 and unify the division, so why not try not to fight it in a unification?
Stanionis says he has not been contacted about a unification fight against Ennis, and now feels Boots may fight Teofimo Lopez next.
Stanionis asks what he says about Ennis. Philadelphia native Boots turns down the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight. at 154, and yet he is not looking to make unification fights at 147. That feeds into the beliefs that Boots’ critics hold about him. They see him as risk averse, without ambition, and only interested in taking on winning fights against Karen Chukhadzhian, David Avanesyan and Roiman Villa.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) says he will keep busy with his career and hopes to fight on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event will be shown on PBC on Prime Video PPV.
“I’m aiming for it and hoping for it. So, we’ll see,” said Eimantas Stanionis to YSM Sports Media about wanting to fight on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach card on March 1st.
“We’re here to prove who’s the best. I can fight at 140, 147, or 154. It doesn’t matter. Any three divisions. If I have the opportunity, I’ll jump. I want it to be a throwback fight, like where everyone fights every two to launch months.
“I don’t want to be in her shoes because after the fight (Karen Chukhadzhian), she said she could go to 154 for the right opponent. So, I think Vergil Ortiz was the right opponent.
Ennis reportedly turned down a career payday for the Vergil Jr. fight. on February 22, and this makes it worse. If Boots is going to stay at 147 and fight light welterweight Teofimo Lopez instead of one of the champions, then his whole reason to return the fight Vergil Jr. Then, it became obvious to the fans that he lacked the courage to take that fight for fear of losing.
Stanionis: “Ennis could have called”
“So, I don’t know what happened. Eddie (Hearn) also said they could go to 154 for a big fight,” Stanionis said of Ennis. “When they got the offer (for the Vergil Jr. fight) , I don’t know what was inside. From the outside, it doesn’t look good.
“Yes, if he wants to stay at 147, I understand, but watching from the fence, I also appreciate it. When he (Ennis) did not take the fight (with Vergil), his people could call us. I’ll skip it. Nobody called us,“, Stanionis said Boots promoter Ennis never contacted his management about doing a unification fight.
Hearn needs to show the fans that he is giving offers to other welterweight champions to fight Boots because it doesn’t look good that Stanionis says he hasn’t been contacted by Ennis’ team about a fight. Why would he lie about it?
If he says that he has not been contacted, it shows that Boots is not interested in the welterweights and only stays at 147 to hide from the predators in the 154 division that would quickly end his career in the same way that the career by Tim Tszyu has imploded. , losing his last two fights at junior middleweight.
“If he wants to stay at 147, he has to fight other champions. I see with Teofimo, they could fight. I don’t know what’s going on. If he’s going to fight Teofimo, what does he tell you? He’s not 147, you know?” said Stanionis.
