Jaron “Boots” Ennis is a unified welterweight champion.
In a destructive performance, Ennis scored a sixth-round TKO win over a game but overmatched Eimantas Stanionis on Saturday night in Atlantic City.
Ennis’ body work did the majority of the damage. It was that investment that led to the stoppage. Ennis dropped Stanionis in the sixth round. The latter got to his feet, but he looked defeated. His corner noticed and took some pressure off their fighter, making the right decision to stop the fight.
Here is the ending sequence.
Stanionis did have some moments as he landed the left hooks that Karen Chukhadzhian showed Ennis is open to eat. Unfortunately for Stanionis, he doesn’t possess the power to make Ennis pay.
In a slugfest, Ennis had far more firepower, and that secured the victory.
What’s next for Ennis? It sounds like he’ll chase unification at 147 pounds, but there is a chance he’ll move up to 154 pounds at some point. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn even mentioned 160 pounds as a possibility down the road.
Ennis says he will take some time to enjoy his win and new titles before making a decision. Here is a look at all of the results from the entire card.
Main Event – Welterweight Unification Bout
Jaron Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) vs. Eimantas Stanionis (15-1)
IBF, WBA, and Ring Magazine titles
- Raymond Ford (17-1-1) vs. Thomas Mattice (22-5-1) via unanimous decision (100-90)
Super Featherweight
Ford’s new nickname should be the “Punisher.” As he has gained more experience and settled into a new weight class at 130 pounds, Ford is simply punishing opponents. He set the tone by hurting Mattice early in the first round and kept that same energy over 10 rounds.
He scored a complete shutout—10 rounds to none. That’s impressive against a decent pro like Mattice.
- Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs) def. Franco Ocampo (17-3) via TKO-4
Welterweight
Giyasov scored an impressive fourth-round KO win over Ocampo on an emotional night. Giyasov recently lost his daughter. He dedicated the fight and all of his fights moving forward to her memory. Here is a look at the finish.
- Omari Jones (2-0, 2 KO) def. William Jackson (13-6) via KO-1
Super Welterweight
Jones made quick work of Jackson, stopping him in the first round with a body shot. The punch didn’t look all that hard, though Sergio Mora tried hard to sell its effectiveness.
In any case, Jones looked smooth while he was in the ring, and he got the job done in his second pro fight. Here is a look at the finish.
Undercard
- Zaquin Moses (3-0, 2 KO) def. Alex Pallette (1-4) via KO-1
Super Featherweight
Moses easily pounded his way through Pallette, who is not on the former’s level. Moses, Shakur Stevenson’s younger cousin, has excellent instinct, athleticism, and skill. He has a high ceiling, but it is very early. Here is a look at the finish.
- Tahmir Smalls (14-0, 10 KO) def. Earl Bascome (13-2) via KO-1
Welterweight
Smalls looked huge for welterweight and vastly superior to Bascome—who doesn’t fight often and came into the fight with just two wins by KO. At any rate, Smalls looks like a plus athlete with long arms and legit punching power.
Here is a look at the KO.
It’ll be interesting to see who Smalls is matched against next.
- Arturo Cardenas (16-0-1 with 10 KO) def. Edgar Joe Cortes (9-8-1) via TKO-8
Super Bantamweight
Cardenas came in as the hot and undefeated prospect, but Cortes, a late replacement, offered a bit more opposition than most expected. He took this fight on 4-days’ notice and made a good account for himself.
However, Cardenas turned up the heat through the fight and scored the stoppage win, including three knockdowns. Here is a look at one of them.
Here is a look at the finish:
- Francisco Rodriguez (7-0) def. Naheem Parker (5-2) via TKO-4
Lightweight
Rodriguez improved to 7-0 with a lopsided fight. He was easily the faster and more technical fighter. There are times when one prospect is clearly miles ahead of another. This is one of those examples.
Also, Parker’s corner might have been as big of an opponent as Rodriguez. He screamed at the top of his lungs the entire fight. I almost muted. It’s tough to imagine how a young fighter could perform well in that environment—especially when he or she is already faced with a tough opponent.
Parker’s corner did make one smart decision. They threw in the towel between the third and fourth rounds to save Parker from taking more punishment.
Ennis-Stanionis Fight Card Coverage
The early portion of the stream had IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins handling color analysis. Early on, he is doing an excellent job. It’ll be interesting to see if DAZN continues to have him wear this hat during future fight cards.
It’s a great look.
Keep refreshing for the latest reactions and results.
