Jaron “Boots” Ennis desperately wanted to reshape his image.

From being known universally as one of the most avoided fighters on the planet to someone reluctant to take a fight, Ennis needed to change the narrative. He hated to admit it, but the way things played out with both Vergil Ortiz and Karen Chukhadzhian rubbed him the wrong way.

On one end, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) was openly criticized for his performance in two fights against Chukhadzhian. In addition to that, he was lambasted for his unwillingness to move up to 154 pounds to fight Ortiz.

The Philly star was never scared of anyone but ditching his IBF title made little sense to him. With his reputation taking a hit, Ennis phoned up Eddie Hearn, his promoter, and pleaded with him to make a unification fight happen.

If Hearn wanted, he could’ve held discussions with Brian Norman, the division's WBO champion, or Mario Barrios, the WBC belt holder. But Hearn had other ideas.

Instead of facing either man, Hearn has officially gotten Eimantas Stanionis to sign his name on the dotted line. Now, with their unification set to take place on April 12th, in Atlantic City, Hearn’s smile is indelible. His buoyant attitude doesn’t simply come from getting Ennis what he truly wanted, but it also stems from getting his man the most difficult fight he could’ve asked for.

“Brian Norman, Barrios, two good fighters but Stanionis is the one,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing. “Stanionis is the toughest fight for Boots.”

Things have been a bit clunky for The Ring’s No. 2 ranked welterweight and current WBA champion. Originally slated to face Vergil Ortiz on three separate occasions, Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) lost two years of his time due to an injury and repeated illnesses to Ortiz, leading to numerous cancellations.

When it became obvious that they wouldn’t be getting it on, Stanionis resumed his career. Following a lopsided win over Gabriel Maestre this past May, the 30-year-old insisted on fighting a big name.

Hearn happily acquiesced.

Although he’s been both out of sight and out of mind, Hearn believes that Stanionis is the second-best welterweight in the world. Ennis, unsurprisingly, is number one in his book. So, with The Ring’s two top-rated 147-pounders set to go at it, Hearn is convinced that the winner will be sitting atop the welterweight throne.

“The best vs. the best. Claim the crown.”