Eddie Hearn says Jaron Ennis’ April 12 fight with Eimantas Stanionis is the #1 pick in the middleweight division and #2 to prove who is the best champion. Titles between IBF 147-pound champion Ennis (33-0, 29, 29) and WBA belt holder Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) take place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matching Room)

Hearn gave himself a tap-in to deliver the 27-year-old Ennis in the first of three unification fights he needs to become the undisputed champion in the middleweight division.

Eddie’s recent failure to negotiate a fight with WBO champion Brian Norman Jr for “The Boot” has resulted in Ennis being stuck defending against his IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian , it’s a fan-to-fans-uninterested take on the show.

Ennis looked terrible in this fight, being picked up and outplayed by Karen in many rounds. To say that Chukhadzhian makes “Boots” look bad. Jaron won the fight via a 12-round unanimous decision, but his stock in boxing plummeted because he looked terrible.

Ennis recently made matters worse by turning down a career-high payday to fight for the WBC interim junior middleweight title Vergil Ortiz Jr.. On the card of Turki al-Sheikh on February 22 in Riyadh. Fans thought it was an ordinary old-fashioned cowardice On part of Ennis. So for Jaron to now fight Stanionis in unification on April 12th, it doesn’t do anything to resurrect his lost popularity.

The fight we boxing fans want to see is Boot Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr, not a fight with Stanionis, who the American doesn’t know or understand well. The other two world champions at 147, Brian Norman and Mario Barrios, were not respected by the fans.

wrong opponent

Boots won’t get much credit for beating that guy; an empty achievement If he finally achieves his undisputed goal at No. 147. No one will care as fans rise in Ennis to fight Vergil, Bakhram Muratazaliev, Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk.

“That’s enough. Brian Norman, Barrios, two good fighters. Stanionis is one. Stanionis is the toughest fight in the boots and you see the best versus the best ‘s. Asking for the crown, that’s what it’s all about. match room boxingsaid who he thinks is the best of the three 147-pounders Jaron Ennis has to beat.

“This is one of the most gratifying and meaningful announcements we’ve ever made because Boots has a dream (to unify the 147-pound division) and we manage it and it’s for him to unify the division to be the outstanding best 147 – the head of the world,” Hearn continued.

“I have to respect Stanioni because no one wants to hit the boot and maybe the last performance (Karen Chukhadzhian re-fighting) just comes to mind and it’s a good fight. It’s the #1 and #2 center in the world The weight class fights with the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine Belt and can definitely tell us who is the best in the world at 147 pounds.

Avoiding Ortiz?

This isn’t a meaningful announcement as it does nothing to make fans forget that Boots is violating a risky fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22nd. Fans believe Ennis shunned Ortiz for fear of losing to him and seeing his popularity erode further.

Boots has looked terrible in most of his recent fights against Karen Chukhadzhian X 2, David Avsanesyan, and Roiman Villa. The last time Jaron impressed was three years ago, when he knocked out 34-year-old Custio Clayton in the second round on May 14, 2022.

“‘Boot’ got a lot of criticism because he stuck to his dream, and when the (Vergil) Ortiz fight with Trofimo came up, he said to me, ‘Eddie, I want to unify the division. I want to win All belts. Please make it happen,’ we delivered. We’re in the Boardwalk Hall, and it’s an arena full of history,” Hearn said.

“It’s going to be a huge show, for all the people who doubted him. All the people who shot at him (Ennis), this is the real fight. April 12th in Atlantic City, ‘Boots’ against Stannis , to enjoy lightweight supremacy and the Ring Magazine Belt, the last two owners of the Ring Magazine Belt were Terrence Crawford and Floyd Mayweather, going back decades.

“Other than that, (Sugar Ray) Leonard, Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson. That’s the quality we’re going to see in this fight and that’s what ‘The Boot’ is going to show for his pound-for-pound.”