Eimantas Stanionis isn’t losing any sleep over former welterweight champion Shawn Porter’s recent praise for Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Porter sparred with Ennis and claimed to be impressed by his power, but Stanionis believes the short sparring session was more about providing content for Porter’s popular podcast than anything else.
The WBA welterweight champion Stanionis faces IBF titlist Ennis on April 12th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, live on DAZN. Although many initially favored Ennis, his shaky rematch performance against Karen Chukhadzhian where he struggled early and only pulled ahead in the championship rounds, has caused some fans to label the upcoming unification a 50-50 fight.
Watch Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian highlights: Watch
Stanionis took note of how Chukhadzhian outboxed and outslugged “Boots” at times. He says he’s fully prepared to show Ennis and eveyone else that he’s more than equipped to handle his rival’s reputed power.
"I don’t care who he spars. He can bring in a gorilla," Stanionis quipped. "I’m focused on my own training, and on April 12th, we’ll see who put in the harder work and who has the sharper skills."
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Image Credit: PBC