EDDIE Hearn claims that WBA world welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis has ‘won the lottery’ ahead of his unification showdown with Jaron Ennis.
The pair will square off later this evening, headlining a Matchroom Boxing card at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Following a below par performance against Karen Chukhadzhian, it could be said that IBF titlist Ennis, 33-0 (29 KOs), despite extending his unblemished record last November, is entering their clash with a point to prove.
At the same time, though, ‘Boots’ is widely considered to be a sizable favourite against Stanionis, 15-0 (9 KOs), who claimed his black and gold strap with a split decision victory over Radzhab Butaev in 2022.
After that, his scuppered fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr contributed to a lengthy spell of inactivity, with the 30-year-old securing just one outing in nearly three years.
But despite his lack of momentum, the Lithuanian has, according to Matchroom promoter Hearn, earned himself a more lucrative payday than Ennis.
Talks of fighter purses emerged earlier this week after Tom Brown, when speaking with Boxing News’ Andi Purewal, insisted that he was tempted to steer Stanionis towards a different direction.
This idea came once the TGB Promotions boss received what he considered to be a lowball offer for the Ennis fight, with an alternative option against WBA mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov appearing more likely for Stanionis.
But regardless of the money, Stanionis told Brown that he wanted the Ennis unification above all else, hence why the pair are now just hours away from colliding.
Hearn, however, has now revealed that Ennis agreed to earn less than his opponent, putting Brown’s complaints over his fighter’s purse into question.
“Stanionis is making more money than ‘Boots,’ and ‘Boots’ is ten times the draw of Stanionis,” Hearn told Purewal.
“Trust me when I say, Stanionis has won the lottery in this fight. [Ennis] took less money than his contract money to make this fight happen, so that shows you how bad he wants it.
“Stanionis is making a fortune. Good luck to him – he deserves it.”
