WBA light heavyweight champion Eimantas Stanionis says his management never contacted Jaron 'Boots' Ennis' team when he decided to turn down an offer to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim title on the Feb. 22 card in Riyadh.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
Boots avoid unification?
Stanionis says it doesn't look good that IBF light heavyweight champion Boots (33-0, 29 KOs) decided not to fight Vergil Jr. at 154. He heard Ennis wants to stay at 147 and unify the division, so why isn't he trying to fight him in unification?
Stanionis says he has NOT been contacted for a unification fight against Ennis, and now he's hearing Boots could be fighting Teofimo Lopez next.
Stanionis asks what that says about Ennis. Philadelphia-based Boots declined Vergil Ortiz Jr.'s fight at 154, yet he doesn't want to make unification fights at 147 either. That adds to the beliefs Boots' critics have about him. They see him as risk-averse, without ambition and only interested in winning fights against Karen Chukhadzhian, David Avanesyan and Roiman Villa.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) says he will be busy with his career and hopes to fight on the Gervont Davis undercard against Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The event will be shown on PBC Main video PPV.
“I aim for it and hope for it. So, we'll see,” said Eimantas Stanionis for YSM Sports media about wanting to fight on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach card on March 1st.
“We are here to prove 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 comeback fighter, like where everyone fights every two months.
“I wouldn't want to be in his shoes because after the fight (Karen Chukhadzhian) said he could go to 154 for the right opponent. So I think Vergil Ortiz was a real opponent.
Ennis reportedly turned down a career-high payday to fight Vergil Jr. February 22, and that makes it look even worse. If Boots is going to stay at 147 and fight light heavyweight Teofimo Lopez instead of one of the champions, then his whole reason for turning down the Vergil Jr. fight goes up in smoke. Then it becomes obvious to the fans that he lacked the courage to accept that fight due to 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 the big fight,” Stanionis said of Ennis. “When they got the offer (to fight Vergil Jr.), I don't know what was in there. It doesn't look good from the outside.
“Yes, if he wants to stay at 147, I understand, but looking from the sidelines, I also appreciate him. When he (Ennis) wasn't fighting (with Vergil), his people could call us. I would jump in. Nobody called us,” Stanionis said of promoter Boots Ennis who never contacted his management about the unification fight.”
Hearn needs to show the fans that he is making offers to other welterweight champions to fight Boots because it doesn't look good that Stanionis is saying that Ennis' team hasn't contacted him about the fight. Why would you lie about this?
If he says no one has contacted him, it shows that Boots is not interested in the welterweight division and is just staying at 147 to hide from the predators in the 154 division who would quickly destroy his career the same way Tim Tszyu's career imploded, losing the last two fights in the junior middleweight category.
“If he wants to stay at 147, he should fight other champions. I see with Teofima, they could fight. I don't know what's going on. If he's going to fight Theophilus, what does that tell you? It's not 147, you know?” Stanionis said.
