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WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis says Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ team never contacted his management when he decided to turn down an offer to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for theirs interim WBC title on the Feb. 22 card in Riyadh. .
(Credits: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
Boots dodge unification?
Stanionis says it doesn’t look good that IBF welterweight champion Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) chose not to fight Vergil Jr. at 154. He had heard that Ennis wanted to stay at 147 and unify the division, so why didn’t he. Doesn’t he try to fight him in a unification?
Stanionis says they have NOT been contacted for a unification fight against Ennis, and now he’s hearing Boots could fight Teofimo Lopez next.
Stanionis asks what he says of Ennis. Philadelphia native Boots turns down Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight. at 154, and yet he also doesn’t want unification fights at 147. This feeds into the beliefs Boots’ critics have about him. They see him as risk averse, lacking in ambition and only interested in taking winnable fights against 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 undercard against Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event will be shown on PBC on the day Prime Video PPV.
“I’m aiming for that and I’m hoping for that. So, we’ll see,” said Eimantas Stanionis YSM Sports Media about wanting to fight the undercard Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach on March 1st.
“We’re here to show who’s 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 everybody fights every two to launch months
“I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes because after the fight (Karen Chukhadzhian), she said she could go to 154 for the right opponent. So I think Vergil Ortiz was the right opponent.
Ennis reportedly turned down a career-high payday for the Vergil Jr. fight. on February 22, and that makes him look worse. If Boots is going to stay at 147 and fight light welterweight Teofimo Lopez instead of one of the champions, then his whole reason to turn down the Vergil Jr. fight. It then becomes apparent to fans that he lacked the courage to fight for fear of losing.
Stanionis: “Ennis could have called”
“So I don’t know what happened. Eddie (Hearn) also said they might go to 154 for a big fight, Stanionis said of Ennis. “When they got the offer (for the Vergil Jr. ), I don’t know what was inside. From the outside, it doesn’t look good.
“Yes, if he wants to stay at 147, I understand, but looking from the fence, I also thank him. When he (Ennis) did not fight (with Vergil), his people could have called us. I would go for it. Nobody called us,” Stanionis said of Boots promoter Ennis who never approached his management about making a fight for unification.”
Hearn needs to show the fans that he is making offers to the other welterweight champions to fight Boots because it doesn’t look right for Stanionis to say that Ennis’ team hasn’t contacted him about a fight. Why would he lie about it?
If he says he hasn’t been contacted, it shows that Boots isn’t interested in welterweight and is only staying at 147 to hide from the predators in the 154 division that would quickly ruin his career just like Tim’s Tszyu has imploded. , losing his last two fights at junior middleweight.
“If he wants to stay at 147, he should fight other champions. I see that with Teofimo, they could fight. I don’t know what’s going on. If he is going to fight Teofimo, what does that tell you? That’s not 147, you know?” Stanionis said.
