Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis will unify two of the welterweight titles on April 12 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Ennis, 33-0 (29 KOs), of nearby Philadelphia will be making the second defense of his IBF welterweight title, while Stanionis, 15-0 (9 KOs), of Kaunas, Lithuania will be making his first defense of the WBA belt he was awarded when made full champion in 2025. Their fight will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Both fighters expressed that they had been hoping for a unification fight.
“This is the fight I’ve been waiting for,” said Ennis, 27. “I believe I was made for moments like this and on April 12 I will be making a big statement and you will see the very best of me. It’s time to shine, be great and collect those belts.”
“This is it – the moment I’ve been envisioning my entire life,” said Stanionis. “Every sacrifice, every ounce of sweat, it’s all been for this fight. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is a great fighter, but I’m ready to take him down. On April 12 in Atlantic City, I’ll show the world what I’m made of. This unification bout is my chance to prove I’m the king of the welterweight division, and there’s no way I’m letting this opportunity slip away. This moment is mine.”
April’s fight is expected to be the biggest test yet for Ennis and Stanionis, 30. Both are in their primes and had been awaiting their marquee match-ups at championship level. Ennis’ road to the championship began in 2023, when he won the interim title via a decision over Karen Chukhadzhian. He was later elevated to full championship status when the IBF title was stripped from Terence Crawford.
Stanionis followed a similar route, having won the WBA’s “regular” belt in 2022, but he only became full champion in August 2024 after Crawford vacated.
“This is a simply brilliant fight,” said Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. “When we signed Boots, I said to him that we would deliver unifications for him, so it is great to get this over the line for Jaron, and I know that with the biggest fight of his career right in front of him, he is going to shine brighter than ever.
“Eimantas is a brilliant fighter, and this is without doubt the number one and number two in the division, and I could not wish for a better fight to promote our first event in the storied Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.”
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