By Frank Bay: The main event failed to live up to the hype on a terrible card from top to bottom. The only thing I could think of while watching as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis outslugged Eimantas Stanionis was wondering what weight Ennis was fighting at.
After the end, the only question I had was whether there was any drug testing for this fight. While Stanionis looked like a strong, well-built, decent 147-pounder, Ennis looked like a super middleweight. But I think the dead giveaway was the size of Jaron Ennis’s cranium. It looked three times the size of his past fights, where he was lackluster.
The reality is that because of boxing’s lax rules, this was not a fair fight the day it was signed. We knew Stanionis had been inactive for over a year and a half and had one fight in nearly three, but the size disparity was glaring. Now it’s apparent why Stanionis was such a massive underdog.
Many of us thought it was a closer fight on paper because Stanionis was a champion. For the most part, these types of unification fights in boxing usually mean the fighters are equal in talent. But now we see the reason Ennis avoided moving up to 154. He has a sizable advantage against any natural 147-pound fighter.
While Stanionis had his moments, Ennis never seemed threatened by the much smaller man. Ennis used a lot of lateral movement combined with keeping a jab in Stanionis’s face. Stanionis was never able to get inside and work the body like he wanted to. There were maybe 3 to 4 actual exchanges, but the sizable power advantage Ennis had was obvious. Ennis’s body shots had a noticeable effect early on Stanionis.
Status Quo
Stanionis was game and gave it all he had. The size difference on fight night was just too much to overcome. The announcement team of Mora and Mannix heaped a wad of glaze on Ennis, but even they had to admit Ennis’ massive size disparity, combined with Stanionis’ lack of activity, was the deciding factor.
Yet at the end of the fight, they conveniently overlooked any of that and attempted to convince naïve fans that this win put Ennis on the P4P list. This was a clear example of company shilling.
I get that they are only doing their job, but how can fans take them seriously and consider them credible if they fail to acknowledge that it wasn’t a fair fight?
Stanionis gave it all he could, pressing the action until Ennis finally dropped him during an exchange. Ennis had been marked up somewhat by a stiff, solid Stanionis jab, but it was not enough. It was upsetting to see his corner throw in the towel. Sergio Mora called it a ‘No Mas,’ which I think is unfair since it wasn’t Stanionis who quit. A corner should let their man go out on his shield in a fight of that magnitude. Stanionis may never get this opportunity ever again.
Now, earlier, I mentioned that it wasn’t a fair fight. This is why the odds reflected it even against fans feeling it had the makings of a great battle. I also predicted we would see the unexpected, and once again, I nailed it. Stanionis quitting was the last thing anyone expected.
Weight Bullying Is A Thing
But it must be beaten like a dead horse. We must stress that Ennis was a super middleweight in the ring, like when Devin Haney was nearly dying to make 135 pounds so he could be at least 160 pounds plus on fight night.
That is a 25-plus weight disparity on fight night. It’s not out of the question that Ennis was somewhere along those lines. There is not one truthful person that can deny Ennis didn’t look 3 weight classes above Stanionis.
Ennis fans will scream that it’s fair because he made weight. The usual dishonest bad-faith arguments will pile in. But my proof and evidence are none other than Eddie Hearn and Ennis admitting to being weight bullies.
Hearn’s main belief that Ennis would win was that he was fighting in a unification that would allow him to hydrate fully. Ennis confirmed the same thing Eddie was saying. These admissions are smoking guns to the dishonest naysayers. Hearn and Ennis are admitting they drain to the point of near-fatal consequences.
Nobody in their right mind would take such drastic measures if it weren’t for a good reason. No person with any honesty and integrity would risk their health, risking death or worse, for minor benefits. Anyone arguing this isn’t done for the benefit of being able to weight bully is either a liar or completely obtuse.
Proof In The Pudding
During the lead-up to the main event, Richard Hitchins was interviewed. He spoke on what being able to hydrate fully means. Hitchins is also another weight bully. He told fans how it’s done and why it’s done.
Hitchins refused to challenge Subriel Matias at one point because it was an IBF-sanctioned fight, which meant he would not be able to use his best weapon, that of being a weight bully. In simple terms, it is not fair.
Look at one of Devin Haney’s biggest excuses for losing to Ryan Garcia: the 3 pounds Ryan came in over. Devin cried that he had to kill himself to make weight, and Ryan didn’t. So, we know weight is a major determining factor when it comes to the fairness of a fight.
Boxing went from same-day weigh-ins to 24-hour weigh-ins due to safety reasons. Now, in a counterintuitive measure that becomes even more dangerous, A-side fighters like Ennis and Haney can negotiate a weight-in nearly two days before a fight.
This allows for less time they must kill their bodies and more time to hydrate safely. It makes it so that fighters who have no business being in a particular weight class can kill themselves so they can pick on naturally smaller men. This is done with the knowledge that they have a distinct advantage because they can bend the rules. In other words, they are allowed to cheat the system legally.
Not only is it cheating, but it’s more dangerous to allow this type of cheating because of the health risk it entails. It allows fighters to fight opponents that, in a fair system, they would otherwise be unable to. It is only common sense to realize that a fighter would be more at risk fighting a man three times his size than forced to weigh in on the same day.
In a similar manner but in the opposite direction, Tank Davis made sure Ryan Garcia couldn’t weigh in until the mid-afternoon of their fight making sure Ryan was killing his body that much more. A very dirty tactic indeed. Knowing what goes into fights, making weight and hydrating is a massive factor in determining the winner.
It is amazing, to say the least, how fans and critics casually overlook what we all see. When fighters go up in weight and beat bigger men, it is considered the highest achievement in boxing, like what Crawford is attempting to do with Alvarez.
If that is true, it must also, in turn, be frowned upon when much bigger men use scrupulous tactics and less-than-ethical strategies to gain a sporting advantage.
Therefore, with that knowledge in mind, I have to say I wasn’t impressed by Ennis’ tainted victory. It was like watching a bodybuilding competition where you understand none of it is real. There isn’t anything sporting or competitive about it. None of them are natural athletes, and they are killing themselves for the illusion of winning.
Lastly this awful card and its upcoming schedule reminded me why I cancelled my DAZN annual subscription and only purchase month to month if there is I fight I deem worth seeing. The Raymond Ford fight made me hate Hearn.
Ford’s opponent, Thomas Mattice, fought as if he was given a nice envelope backstage. The other fights were just more can-crushing. If it weren’t for Stanionis corner giving up on him, this night would’ve been rather forgettable.
In parting, not much can be said about Ennis until we see him fight someone his own size. One thing I can assure you is that the other big names may not want to fight him after what they see, but not for the reasons being given.
No, I can promise the other names will want an even playing field against Ennis. They will want Ennis tested before, during, and after the fight. Don’t be surprised if fights against him fall through because of testing, weigh-in, and hydration stipulation issues.
The boxing people in the know are all on notice. Last night was not fair, and there isn’t a chance any big-name boxers’ handlers will allow their fighters to be cheated.
Last Updated on 04/13/2025
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