IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis was handed his first world title due to sanctioning body semantics.

Now, he wants to actually earn a new set of crowns inside the squared circle when he takes on WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis on April 12 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on DAZN. The vacant Ring title will be on the line as well in the fight featuring the division’s top-two rated stars.

“[Pursuing a title unification fight was] important to me because I was given the belt,” Ennis told The Ring in an interview. “I never had the chance to fight for the world title. Now I can get that feeling of taking the belt from somebody to become a unified champion.”

Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) was elevated from the IBF’s interim title holder to its full champion in November 2023 after the sanctioning body stripped then-undisputed welterweight king Terence Crawford of the title. At the time, the IBF had ordered Crawford to defend his title against Ennis, but the Nebraska native was pursuing a rematch against Errol Spence Jr.

“I'm just glad to have the opportunity to unify the titles and be able to fight for The Ring title,” said Ennis. “A lot of fighters are not able to fight for The Ring title. It's super important for me to win that title. Not a lot of fighters have held that title. I am about to stamp my name, make my legacy, make history.”

Ennis stayed true to his word by pursuing a meaningful fight at 147 pounds after he passed on negotiations in November for a scrap against junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. Pundits portrayed the developments as a duck, but Ennis wanted to take care of unfinished business in the welterweight division.

“It feels great to finally get what I wanted,” said Ennis. “I don't care what anybody says. This is for me. Once I do this, I am going to stamp my name in the division. I think Staniosis is a great fighter. I am going to win and make a big statement.”

Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) is the stiffest test of the 27-year-old's career, but the steep -650 betting favorite Ennis likes his chances after toying with the likes of Karen Chukhadzhian (twice), David Avanesyan, and Roiman Villa over the last two years.

“I definitely think so [that I will rise to the occasion]. You'll see my skills, talents, and abilities. Once I make this big statement, the world is going to know,” said Ennis.

“It's going to play out real well. Stanionis is a pressure fighter who throws a lot of punches and comes forward. That's what we like. I am going to put on a show on April 12. Tha