Nobody actually knew if Jaron "Boots" Ennis was the real deal until he stepped into the ring at Boardwalk Hall. Sure, the Philly native had the flashy knockouts and that smooth-as-silk switch-hitting style, but the "ducking" allegations and the soft matchmaking were starting to get loud. Then came the Jaron Ennis vs Eimantas Stanionis boxing match on April 12, 2025. It wasn't just a fight; it was a total demolition of the "overrated" narrative.
Stanionis wasn't some hand-picked victim. He was the WBA champion. He was an undefeated Olympian from Lithuania with a chin made of granite and a high-guard defense that usually makes guys look amateurish. People forget that before this, Stanionis had basically been in boxing purgatory because of all those canceled dates with Vergil Ortiz Jr. He came to Atlantic City hungry. He came to win.
But honestly? It wasn't even close.
Why the Jaron Ennis vs Eimantas Stanionis boxing match Was a Tactical Nightmare
If you watch the tape back, the first two rounds were actually kinda competitive. Stanionis did what he always does: he marched forward, gloves tucked tight to his forehead, trying to find a home for that stiff jab. But Ennis is just... different. Most fighters have to pick a lane—you're either a brawler or a stylist. Boots just decided to be both.
By the third round, the speed difference became a problem. A big problem. Ennis started finding these weird angles for his uppercuts that seemed to bypass Stanionis’s guard entirely. You’ve got to feel for Stanionis there; he’s doing everything "right" by the book, and he’s still getting his nose turned into a fountain.
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Then came the body shots.
There’s this specific left hook to the liver Ennis landed in the fourth that you could practically hear from the back of the arena. Stanionis didn’t go down right then, but you could see the air leave his lungs. His pressure slowed. His feet got heavy. That’s the thing about a Jaron Ennis fight—it’s not usually one big punch that ends it, but the sheer volume of high-level stuff he’s throwing at you all at once.
The Moment the Tide Turned
The sixth round was pure violence. Ennis dropped Stanionis with a vicious combination that ended with a left uppercut. It was the first time the Lithuanian had ever been on the canvas—amateur or pro. When he got up, his eyes were clear, but his body was cooked. His trainer, Marvin Somodio, saw the writing on the wall and stopped the fight before the seventh.
It was a mercy pull.
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With that win, Ennis didn't just keep his IBF belt; he unified the division by taking the WBA and the vacant Ring Magazine titles. He proved he could dismantle a world-class pressure fighter without breaking a sweat. It was the "coming of age" moment the boxing world had been begging for since 2022.
The Fallout: Moving to 154 and the Vergil Ortiz Drama
You’d think a massive win like that would lead to an undisputed clash with Mario Barrios or Brian Norman Jr., right? Well, boxing is never that simple. Instead of sticking around at 147 pounds to collect the rest of the jewelry, Ennis made the shock move to jump to 154 pounds (Junior Middleweight) in June 2025.
He vacated all those hard-earned welterweight belts. Just gave them up. Why? Because the money and the legacy are at 154 now.
Currently, we’re seeing the ripples of the Ennis-Stanionis aftermath. Ennis is eyeing a massive 2026 clash with Vergil Ortiz Jr. It’s the fight everyone has wanted for years, and it’s finally looking real, even with all the legal drama between Ortiz and Golden Boy Promotions. If you’re following the news right now, Ortiz is actually suing Golden Boy specifically because he feels they’re stalling the Ennis fight.
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What Happened to Stanionis?
Eimantas Stanionis didn't just disappear after the loss. He actually went back to Lithuania and fought Jabulani Makhense in September 2025. He won a comfortable 10-round decision in front of his home crowd in Kaunas. He’s still a top-tier fighter, but the Ennis loss showed there’s a massive gap between "world champion" and "pound-for-pound superstar."
Actionable Insights for Boxing Fans
If you’re trying to keep up with what’s next for these guys, here’s the reality of the landscape as we head deeper into 2026:
- Watch the 154-pound rankings: Jaron Ennis is no longer a welterweight. He is chasing greatness in a division that includes guys like Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz, and Sebastian Fundora.
- Keep an eye on the lawsuits: The legal battle between Vergil Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya is the only thing standing between us and the biggest fight of 2026. If Ortiz wins his freedom, expect a "Boots" vs Ortiz announcement within weeks.
- Don't count out Stanionis: He’s still a force at 147. Now that Ennis and Crawford have left the division, guys like Stanionis and Mario Barrios are the "old guard" who will decide which young prospects actually belong at the top.
The Jaron Ennis vs Eimantas Stanionis boxing match was the end of one era and the start of another. It ended the "Boots is unproven" talk and started the "Can anyone actually beat this guy?" conversation. We’re about to find out.