Eimantas Stanionis has promised to take Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis into deep waters
Eimantas Stanionis has promised to take Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis into the deepest waters he’s ever been to – and the WBA ruler believes he’ll ‘break and beat’ the IBF champion to rule the Welterweight division when they clash in a unification blockbuster on Saturday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, live worldwide on DAZN.
Stanionis (15-0 9 KOs) made a welcome return to the ring in April with victory over Gabriel Maestre in Las Vegas in May, outpointing the Venezuelan in Las Vegas to retain the WBA regular title that he won back in April 2022 in Texas against Radzhab Butaev.
The 30 year old, who represented Lithuania in the 2016 Olympic Games, was elevated to full champion in August when Terence Crawford vacated the WBA belt.
Both Ennis and Stanionis have been searching for unification bouts since landing their titles, and with the Ring Magazine title also on the line at a venue that has hosted the very best fighters on the planet, Stanionis has been working tirelessly at the famous Wild Card gym to make sure he is at his very best on the biggest night of his career.
“Camp at Wild Card has been a warzone—exactly how I like it,” said Stanionis. “With Coach Marvin Somodio, we’ve been grinding non-stop. The sparring partners we worked with are monsters, they pushed me to the edge. Speed, defence, pressure—we’ve dialled in every weapon in I posses. Every day I walk into that gym, I treat it like a fight. I’m locked in, and hungry. This is the best version of me the world’s ever seen.
“Ennis is slick, explosive, and they say he’s the future of the division. That’s why I signed the contract. I don’t duck anyone—I run toward the fire. This isn’t gonna be a chess match. This is going to be a war. I’m stepping into that ring to test him, break him, and beat him. Let’s see how he handles real pressure.
“Beating Boots changes everything for me. It puts me on the throne of the Welterweight division and kicks the door open to pound-for-pound greatness. But this isn’t just about belts—this is about legacy. I fight to carve my name into the history books.
“Every time I fight, I fight with Lithuania on my back. My people know struggle, they know toughness—and I carry that spirit into the ring. When I win, they win. This moment isn’t just for me—it’s for every single person back home who believes in the warrior I’ve become.”
Raymond Ford vs Thomas Mattice
Boots and Stanionis clash on a huge night of action in Atlantic City, where Raymond Ford continues his pursuit of becoming a two-time, two-weight World champion as he faces Thomas Mattice for the WBA Continental North America Super-Featherweight title.
Ford (16-1-1 8 KOs) fights at 130lbs for the second time after moving up from Featherweight in November and routing Orlando Gonzalez over 10 rounds in Philadelphia. ‘Savage’ won the WBA World title at 126lbs with a stunning last gasp KO win over Otabek Kholmatov in March in Verona, NY and was edged out in his first defence by a razor-thin split decision reversal against Nick Ball in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in June.
Ford sits pretty in the rankings across all the governing bodies and will be eyeing that second World title shot in the back end of the year, but Mattice will see that as a carrot dangled for him, and ‘Gunna Man’ will relish the chance to upset Ford’s plans.
Undercard
Arturo Cardenas defends his WBC Continental Americas Super-Bantamweight title against Christian Carto, plus Team USA’s Olympic bronze medal man Omari Jones fights for the second time in the paid ranks against William Jackson over six rounds at Welterweight.
Shakhram Giyasov will open the show live on DAZN over 10 rounds against Franco Ocampo as the Uzbek man waits for his shot at a World title.
Before The Bell action sees three young tri-state talents in action as Atlantic City’s Francisco Rodriguez takes on Camden, New Jersey’s Naheem Parker over eight rounds at Lightweight; Philadelphia’s Tahmir Smalls takes on Washington DC’s Bermudan Earl Bascome over eight rounds at Welterweight; and Newark, New Jersey’s Zaquin Moses takes on Alex Palette over four rounds at Super-Featherweight.
Ennis treating Stanionis unification as the biggest fight of his career: “I’m so focused on this”