Wednesday, April 9

ATLANTIC CITY – If tension exists between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis, it’s minimal. On Wednesday, at Atlantic City’s Caesars Hotel and Casino, they came face to face for the first time in the week of a fight that is expected to prove the most testing of both of their careers, and the IBF and WBA welterweight champions were even more content being side by side than Jake Paul is when linking himself with unlikely fights against fighters actually deserving of respect.

Tellingly Matchroom – the promoters of Saturday’s fight at the Boardwalk Hall – had only one security individual present to oversee that face off, aware, as they apparently were, that even with both fighters still in the process of making weight there was little chance of them requiring separating. Eddie Hearn – who will inevitably promise “one of the fights of the year” and later describe what unfolds as “one of the fights of the year” while speaking as though it has surpassed expectations – isn’t in town to assist with promoting their unification title fight until Thursday, and therefore also wasn’t at Wednesday’s face off, but both fighters willingly accepted instructions from some of Matchroom’s less senior staff as some of the final promotional content was shot. 

One of those instructions was given incorrectly, requiring both fighters to commit to another attempt, but neither hesitated or showed the slightest hint of frustration. Their demeanors ultimately revealed a mutual respect for each other as humans and fighters, considerable confidence in their chances of victory, and a refreshing lack of interest in feigning a rivalry for the sake of endlessly demanding social media platforms in the hopes of building their individual profiles and that of their fight. Neither fighter, at any stage in either of their careers, has appeared driven by fame; it is transparent that both would sacrifice fame for success in the ring.

If theirs is an approach that will be lost on much of the on-screen talent of the broadcasters of Saturday’s fight DAZN, it would also come as little surprise to those aware of who they are both surrounded with. The modest Stanionis’ wife Emily has remained in Lithuania because she is due to give birth to their first child, a baby daughter, on Thursday, and has encouraged him to be absent to prepare for and enter his biggest fight because of its potential to transform his career. Ennis, 27, was joined on Wednesday by his warm, polite and humble parents. His father, Derek “Bozy”, is also his trainer, and his mother continues to prepare his meals. The IBF champion may, from Saturday evening, be regarded by all as the world’s finest welterweight, but his father will continue to expect him to train three times a day, six days a week, and also to keep his feet on the ground.

“It’s respect,” the 30-year-old Stanionis told BoxingScene afterwards. “It’s a big fight. For the belts, and I don’t know if we need to sell this fight or not. I think they’ve sold out already.”

Both fighters’ names are appearing in the marketing material around the Boardwalk Hall in an attempt to sell the remaining tickets – a check on Wednesday demonstrated that it is far from sold out. But it is also little secret that the culture surrounding fights in the US is often subject to what is described as “walk ups” – those who simply wait until fight night to queue up and buy their seat at the fight.

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from Wednesday’s face off was the size advantage the 5ft 10ins Ennis will take into the ring on Saturday. For the first time he has employed a nutritionist to help him make the 147lbs weight limit; regardless of his success, it is unlikely he will be able to do so many more times.

“I don’t even know him, so how can I dislike him?” Ennis later told BoxingScene of his opponent. “I’m here for one thing – one – and that’s bring home the WBA belt and that Ring Magazine belt, and be unified champ. You can’t really take nothing from no face-off, besides if a guy’s trembling or shaking a little bit. You can’t really tell from a face-off. I didn’t really care.”

The Philadelphia-based Ennis and even his Lithuanian opponent in so many respects perfectly capture the culture of the proudly working-class city he is a product of. Increasingly it seems fitting that they will fight so nearby on a promotion supported by other talented east-coast fighters; it seems even more fitting that Ennis may prove the symbol of the revival of boxing on the east coast of the US.