The Welterweight unification between undefeated world champions Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis was one that represented a step forward for a division still very much in transition. A transition that began with former undisputed champion Terence Crawford choosing to move out of the 147lb. Welterweight division to seek more lucrative opportunities as he is at a stage in his career where after successfully unifying two weight divisions, the Jr. Welterweight division, followed by the Welterweight division in the last several years, where it may be more about what fights will earn him the biggest money possible as well as those mythical “Legacy Defining" bouts, which are always subject to debate, rather than necessarily choosing to stay in one division and trying to dominate against all comers.
While almost all great fighters who establish Hall of Fame resumes as Crawford has eventually reach that point, what can be a challenge that can be an at times unwinnable one at least in the court of public opinion is for the fighters who remain to establish themselves as a division's next central figure without getting the opportunity to face the previous fighter with that distinction either because of that fighter moving out of the division or because of choosing to retire. Both Ennis and Stanionis found themselves in that position.
Despite this and the fact that both fighters are still at a stage in their careers where they are developing and trying to increase their name recognition value, this fight presented something of a rarity in the sport of Boxing that should be seen as refreshing. After all, it is not really common, if nothing else due to the politics that be in the sport to see two unbeaten world champions put not only their records, but also their respective world championships on the line, without the typical grandstanding/posturing that usually occurs, and without sufficient public demand that the fight takes place. Although this fight went against that all too often used formula, the sport will benefit from it as it allowed one of these fighters to take a step forward and in doing so, allowed the Welterweight division a necessary step towards determining it's next central figure.
On April 12th Ennis and Stanionis met at the legendary Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Ennis, the IBF world champion, Stanionis, the WBA world champion. Only one would take a step forward, while the other would be forced to take a step back.
Ennis would quickly establish that he would be the fighter dictating how the combat would be fought by frequently getting his punches off first, often in combination, and forcing Stanionis to fight from behind a high defensive guard. What this accomplishes for fighters that are able to do this is one, it paints a clear picture as to who is dictating things, but it also significantly limits an opponent's ability to not only get their punches off consistently, but to also find a consistent offensive rhythm. In this case, Ennis was able to largely nullify one of Stanionis’ primary weapons, the jab and was able to control the fight largely by being the more active of the two fighters and keeping Stanionis defending against punches, rather than throwing his own consistently.
As the fight progressed and Stanionis was able to apply pressure in trying to push Ennis back towards the ropes, the WBA world champion would find periodic success in landing hard hooks to the head of Ennis at points when the IBF world champion would drop his hands at times, which would would allow for an opening for Stanionis to land.
Unfortunately for Stanionis, however, those moments would be sporadic at best and he was unable to quell Ennis’ offensive rhythm, as he gradually began to suffer the accumulative effects of a beating that Ennis was administering. In round six, a left hook to the body followed by some punches to the head that were partially blocked sent Stanionis down on one knee on the canvas. This was a scenario where even though he had gone down from a combination of blows, it was the hook to the body, which was the culprit in sending him down with a delayed reaction.
With his nose bloodied and seemingly looking like a fighter who was suffering a beating, but had no answer for how to combat his opponent effectively, Stanionis showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown and finishing the round. Having seen what was occurring and looking out for their fighter’s best interests long-term, Stanionis’ corner stopped the fight at the end of round six making Jaron Ennis the winner and now the unified IBF/WBA World Welterweight champion.
Ultimately, this fight was a step forward for Jaron Ennis, but one that arguably puts him in the position of now being able to dictate terms should either current WBC world champion Mario Barrios, WBO world champion Brian Norman, or IBO world champion Tulani Mbenge want to increase their stake in the World Welterweight championship and thus the Welterweight division as a whole. While certainly no disrespect is intended to any of these three world champions by this observer, because they are in fact world champions and deserve the respect that goes with it, neither of the three are really in a position where they could pass on a potential fight with Ennis based solely on name recognition value. Although all three fighters, Barrios, Norman, and Mbenge are world-class fighters, there still lacks the type of name recognition clout, particularly amongst casual fans that could see potential negotiations stall while the division’s four current world champions continue competing against other opposition in the normally crowded Welterweight ranks.
With the incentive that brought Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis to the table with each looking to increase their hold on the division still very much in the equation, the best both those of us who cover the sport as well as the public can hope for is that the Welterweights are once again on a path towards fully unifying the division and all the current champions should want the same goal to be Undisputed world champion and that will lead to further unification bouts taking place in a more streamlined way than the grandstanding approach, which usually results in fights taking several years to be made. Boxing as a whole will benefit greatly if that is the case.
“And That's The Boxing Truth."
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