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WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis says his management was never contacted by Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ team when he decided to reject an offer to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his interim WBC title on the billboard on February 22 in Riyadh. .
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
Boots dodging unification?
Stanionis says it doesn’t look good that IBF welterweight champion Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) decided not to fight Vergil Jr. at 154. He had heard that Ennis wanted to stay at 147 and unify the division, so, why not? Didn’t you try to fight him in a unification?
Stanionis says he has NOT been contacted about a unification fight against Ennis, and now he hears that Boots could fight Teofimo López next.
Stanionis asks what that says about Ennis. Boots, a Philadelphia native, turns down the fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. at 154 and yet he also isn’t looking to make unification fights at 147. That feeds into the beliefs Boots’ critics have about him. They see him as risk-averse, lacking ambition and only interested in fighting 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 Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event will air on PBC on main video PPV.
“I’m aiming for that and hoping for that. “We’ll see,” Eimantas Stanionis told YSM Sports Media about wanting to fight on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach on March 1.
“We are here to show who is the best. I can fight at 140, 147 or 154. It doesn’t matter. Any three divisions. If I get a chance, I’ll take it. I want to be a throwback fighter, like where everyone fights every couple of months to throw.
“I wouldn’t want to be in his place because after the fight (with Karen Chukhadzhian), he said he might go up to 154 to find the right opponent. So I think Vergil Ortiz was the right opponent.
Ennis reportedly turned down the highest salary of his career for the fight with Vergil Jr. on February 22, and that makes him look worse. If Boots stays at 147 and fights light welterweight Teofimo Lopez instead of one of the champions, then his entire reason for turning down the fight with Vergil Jr. will go out the window. So, for the fans it is obvious that he lacked the courage to accept 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 great fight: Stanionis said about Ennis. “When they received the offer (for the fight with Vergil Jr.), 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 that, but looking from the sidelines, I appreciate that too. When he (Ennis) didn’t accept the fight (with Vergil), your people could have called us. I would be jumping. Nobody called us“Stanionis said about Boots Ennis’ promoter never communicating with his management about doing a unification fight.”
Hearn needs to show the fans that he is making offers to the other welterweight champions to fight Boots because it doesn’t look good that Stanionis is saying that Ennis’ team didn’t contact him about a fight. Why would I lie about this?
If he says he hasn’t been contacted, it shows that Boots isn’t interested in welterweight and is simply staying at 147 to hide from the predators in the 154 division who would quickly ruin his career the same way Tim Tszyu’s career imploded. , 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 Teófimo, they could fight. I don’t know what’s going on. If he’s going to fight Teofimo, what does that tell you? That’s not 147, you know? Stanionis said.
