JARON ‘Boots’ Ennis has insisted that 2025 will be a ‘tremendous and blessed’ year, with welterweight unifications seemingly remaining at the forefront of his mind.
The 27-year-old comes off a unanimous decision victory in his rematch with mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian, producing a somewhat underwhelming display to retain his IBF crown.
But despite his lacklustre performance, ‘Boots’ has nonetheless kept himself in the shop window for a showdown with one of the remaining champions at 147 lbs.
After ruling himself out of a super welterweight contest with Vergil Ortiz Jr – who will instead face Israil Madrimov on February 22 – Ennis has doubled down on his desire to secure more belts.
So much so, in fact, that he appears to have turned down another lucrative opportunity against Teofimo Lopez, after talks for a potential clash between the pair commenced towards the end of last year.
But still, the Philadelphian has promised that 2025 will be a defining year for his career.
Just two days ago, he wrote on X: “2024 was a good year but 2025 will be a tremendous and blessed year for me! 2025 I’m in that mode!”
One welterweight champion who has expressed an interest in facing Ennis is WBA titlist Eimantas Stanionis.
The Lithuanian, however, has struggled with activity in recent years, making just one defence of his strap since outpointing Radzhab Butaev back in 2022.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old has insisted that he has no intentions of shying away from a unification with Ennis.
“Boots Ennis is one of the most dangerous fighters in boxing today,” Stanionis said in a recent press release, where he also addressed fellow welterweight champions Mario Barrios and Brian Norman Jr.
“He’s fast, powerful, and skilled, but I believe in myself and my ability to outlast anyone in the ring. The fans have been asking for this fight. I want to make it a reality. Unification fights like this define legacies.”
Sure enough, a dustup between the pair would make for an intriguing clash of styles, with ‘Boots’ looking to negate the unbeaten champion’s aggression with his sharp counters.
That said, Stanionis will be expected to make a mandatory defence against unbeaten Uzbek Shakhram Giyasov at some point this year, representing a potential concern for Ennis.
