Jaron Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis is the biggest fight at 147lbs since Terence Crawford and Errol Spence fought for the undisputed title in July 2023. It’s also the only welterweight fight that can be made today that’s anywhere near as appealing.
Brian Norman Jnr, the WBO champion, has previously been spoken about as an opponent for Ennis, who holds the IBF title. But Norman Jnr’s still maturing, and may get better. Today, Ennis and Stanionis – the WBA champion – are the division’s number one and two.
Ennis’ career, like the rest of the welterweight picture, was held up while Crawford and Spence resisted fighting each other, and the welterweight division has lacked moments of excitement since then. As with another glamorous weight division, middleweight, we’ve been waiting for it to be revived, and though cycles of that nature are generational, Ennis and Stanionis have a chance to achieve at least some of that.
Ennis, 27, has long been spoken about as the future of the welterweight division. He’s a high-octane, offensive fighter who makes for fan-friendly fights. He’s got the mentality of his home city Philadelphia – if he’s got the right opponent in front of him he’ll face him down and fight, and he’s convincing from both stances. His speed and power means he’s worth watching and being excited about, and makes the prospect of his career continuing to ascend appealing. The better his opponent is, the better he’s likely to fight.
He’s very talented, and physically gifted, but he doesn’t use those talents to be the counter-puncher he probably could be, or to more regularly use his jab and diversify – he prefers to seek and destroy. He can also be guilty of attacking in a one-dimensional fashion – despite his physical strength he doesn’t use as many set-up punches as someone with his talent should, and he can be too easy to hit.
It’s too early to talk about him as the successor to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Crawford at 147lbs. Entering Saturday’s fight with Stanionis, his achievements and his progression as a fighter means he’s still behind Spence.
Stanionis, 30, isn’t necessarily the strongest, physically, but he’s got a good engine. He attempts to force a high pace and a physical contest. He gets in his opponent’s faces and tests their endurance, heart and mentality, and can break opponents, mentally. If he lacks Ennis’ physical gifts he can still impressively target the head and body, put his punches together, and make opponents question themselves.
Like Ennis, however, he’s also hittable. He’s also not the fastest on his feet.
The fact that Stanionis’ wife is on the verge of giving birth to their first child is a potential distraction for him – it’ll certainly be on his mind. I’d like to think it’ll also motivate him, but it’s been said in the past that happiness can be the enemy. Some fighters are driven by providing for their families; others become wary of not putting their family-life at risk. How reckless will Stanionis still be?
Ennis requires a balanced game plan for victory. There ought to be moments when he’ll be in the pocket, and others when he uses his superior feet – it’s about picking the right moments. He also needs to target Stanionis’ body to test his engine. He has options he can lean on in this fight, and if he uses them he can make it easier for himself.
Stanionis has to consistently back Ennis up from the early stages, and not in a way that leads to Ennis outboxing him – he has to back him up, bully him physically, and make him question himself and his killer’s mindset.
I envision a really good fight – one that will go the distance if someone doesn’t get broken down for a late stoppage. However long it lasts it will be a high-impact fight – both fighters’ mentalities demand that they both try to win and to excite and to destroy.
Ennis has to be the favorite, but it’s not as easy a fight as has been suggested by some. This is the biggest fight to date for both, and the one in which they will have to answer the most questions they’ve had to so far. Like Danny Garcia before him, Ennis is leading the Philadelphia fight scene. He could be the next big fighter on the east coast.