Alright, let’s dive in. So, we’ve got Jaron “Boots” Ennis stepping into the ring with a cloud of doubt hanging over him. Critics, man, they can be relentless. But, Boots, being the guy he is, was out to shoo all those doubts away in what was touted to be a nail-biting showdown against Eimantas Stanionis. Unification match and all that jazz, basically like the Thunderdome of welterweight belts. And what happens? Boots pulls off a one-man symphony of a beatdown, claiming the IBF and WBA titles as easily as swiping a hot cookie from the jar.
Once the bell dinged, Ennis (34-0, 30 KO) wasn’t messing about. He was all up in Stanionis’ space, peppering him with a jab storm to the head and body. It was like watching an artist painting a masterpiece—but with fists. He fluidly shifted from orthodox to southpaw, because, why not keep it interesting? Meanwhile, he’s working those body shots like he’s tenderizing meat, slowing down Stanionis’ hunt. Poor Stanionis (15-1, 9 KO), he’s there trying to catch up but Ennis is a slippery eel, dodging and weaving like he’s auditioning for The Matrix. Sure, Ennis got a bit showy, but hey, if you’re having fun while doing it, why not?
So around the sixth round, Ennis gets serious with the body attacks and boom, Stanionis is crumbling like last week’s cookies. He somehow crawls out of that round, but looking like he’s gone twelve rounds with a wrecking ball. His corner, sensible folk, decide they’ve seen enough and wave the white flag. Stanionis doesn’t even protest. Honestly, can’t blame him.
And just like that, Boots is victorious. Not just a win but a solid, “Hey, I’m in charge here” kinda victory over a legit dude. Now, he’s thinking about kicking back a bit, soaking up the win like a cat in a sun spot, before figuring out the next steps on this belt-collecting journey.
As for the undercard stuff, Raymond Ford (17-1-1, 8 KOs) just breezed through the night like it was a Sunday stroll, totally schooling Thomas Mattice (22-5-1, 17 KOs) with scores that screamed “Wasn’t even close, dude.” Ford danced around Mattice, landing combos like some kind of human pinball machine. Mattice? Well, he pretty much just stood there and took it.
Then we’ve got Omari Jones (2-0, 2 KOs) virtually launching William Jackson (13-6-2, 5 KOs) through the ropes. Jones, just in his second professional fight, dispatched Jackson with a body shot so solid it left you wondering if Jackson was still processing a feint from moments before. Shoutout to Jackson’s ten (plus) years without a W, though. That’s…something, I guess.
Rounding off the festivities was Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs), who was having none of Franco Ocampo’s (17-3, 8 KOs) antics. By the fourth round, Ocampo was felled by a body shot that knocked out not just him, but the air in the room. Giyasov barely let the gun go off before serving up a level of hurt that tore through the opening bout in DAZN.
Not sure what it is about body shots tonight, but clearly, they’ve taken the spotlight. Oh, and if Ocampo thought the first round stumble was tough, Giyasov was just getting started on the precision and power parade. And that’s that, folks. Another night in the ring, another chapter in the endless saga of fists flying under bright lights.
