If Eimantas Stanionis walked into his local grocery store, practically no one would stop and ask him for a picture. The likelihood of them asking for his autograph is incredibly low as well.
None of that though, bothers Stanionis. He’s a low-key kind of guy and enjoys being out of the spotlight. With that said, all of that could change in the next few months.
On April 12th, in Atlantic City, Stanionis will attempt to add Jaron Ennis’ IBF 147-pound title to his collection. A win, obviously, would make The Ring’s No. 2 ranked welterweight a unified champ but outside of that, he’ll also enter a different phase in his career, one that includes a ridiculous amount of fanfare. The vacant Ring welterweight title is at stake as well.
“When I win, I will be a superstar in the United States,” Stanionis told Round Eight Boxing.
Just using the eye test, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) has it all. If you’re a fan of power, The Ring’s No. 1 one welter has stopped just about everyone. If speed interests you, Ennis has plenty of it. Simply put, there isn’t much the Philly star can’t do.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) knows exactly what he’s in for. Fighting someone as dangerous as Ennis though, doesn’t make him nervous. Instead, he’s locked in. Viewing tape, working on his craft, and perfecting a game plan to score the upset.
You see, what Ennis represents is your prototypical great fighter. Meaning, he’s great at everything and hasn’t shown many, if any flaws. Stanionis though, believes he hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves. Most of that, nevertheless, comes from a long stretch of inactivity. He did eventually end his time on the bench by scoring a one-sided unanimous decision win over Gabriel Maestre in 2024.
Talking isn’t exactly the Lithuanian’s forte but for those who are curious as to how his matchup with Ennis will play out, he wants fans to take a moment and pop in some of his highlight footage.
“You can expect fireworks.”