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 fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. to challenge for his WBC interim title on the February 22 card in Riyadh.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
Boots dodge unification?
Stanionis says it doesn’t look good that IBF welterweight champion Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) chose not to fight Vergil Jr. to fight at 154. He heard Ennis wanted to stay at 147 and unify the division, so why did he do it. isn’t he trying to fight him in a unification?
Stanionis says he has NOT been contacted for a unification fight against Ennis, and now he’s hearing that Boots might fight Teofimo Lopez next.
Stanionis asks what that says about Ennis. Philadelphia native Boots is turning down the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight at 154, yet he doesn’t want to make unification fights at 147 either. This leads to the beliefs that Boots’ critics hold about him. They see him as risk-averse, without ambition, and only interested in winning fights against Karen Chukhadzhian, David Avanesyan and Roiman Villa.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) says he will stay 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 Prime Video PPV.
“I aim for it and hope for it. So, we will see,” said Eimantas Stanionis YSM Sports Media about wanting to fight on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach card on March 1st.
“We are here to prove who is the best. I can fight at 140, 147 or 154. It doesn’t matter. Any three sections. If I get an opportunity, I’ll jump at it. I want to be a rebound fighter, like where everyone fights every two months.
“I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes because after the (Karen Chukhadzhian) fight he said he might go to 154 for the right opponent. So, I think Vergil Ortiz was the right opponent.
Ennis reportedly turned down a career-high payday for the Vergil Jr. fight on Feb. 22, and it makes him look 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 for turning down the Vergil Jr. fight goes up in smoke. Then it becomes clear to fans that he didn’t have 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 might 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 in it. From the outside it doesn’t look good.
“Yes, if he wants to stay at 147, I understand, but looking from the fence, I also appreciate him. When he (Ennis) did not engage in battle (with Vergil), his people could have called us. I would jump in. nobody called us” Stanionis said of Boots Ennis’ promoter never contacting his management about a unification fight.
Hearn needs to show fans that he is making offers to the other welterweight champions to fight Boots, because it doesn’t look good for Stanionis to say that he hasn’t been contacted by Ennis’ team about a fight. Why would he lie about this?
Saying he hasn’t been contacted shows that Boots isn’t interested in welterweight and is only staying at 147 to hide from the predators in the 154 division who would quickly ruin his career the same way Tim Tszyu’s exploded. , losing his last two fights at junior middleweight.
“If he wants to stay at 147, he’s supposed to fight other champions. I see with Teofimo, they might fight. I don’t know what’s going on. If he goes to fight Teofimo, what does that tell you? It’s not 147, you know?” Stanionis said.
