Boxing

Where Jaron Ennis Is Now Compared To When Mayweather Defeated Gatti Is Eerily Similar

The parallels between Jaron Ennis and Floyd Mayweather are uncanny after he became the unified welterweight champion.

Nathaniel Marrero

Jaron Ennis
Jaron Ennis / Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Heading into Saturday's unification bout against Eimantas Stanionis, Jaron "Boots" Ennis wasn't bashful about the company he wants to one day hold when his career is all said and done.

Ennis said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard earlier in the week. He also recalled Mayweather's win over Arturo Gatti as one of his favorite fights.

"One of my favorite fights to watch was Floyd vs Gatti, and I’m excited about fighting in the same arena," Ennis said. "Hopefully, I can put a historic moment during this fight just like that. I want to be the standard of the welterweight division and be with those top guys like Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard."

Ennis delivered on everything he hoped for and then some, stopping Eimantas Stanionis after the sixth round to become the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine welterweight champion. The comparisons for Ennis with his performance against Stanionis and Mayweather's stoppage victory over Gatti on June 25, 2005 were uncanny.

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Where Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is in his career compared to when Mayweather defeated Gatti is eerily similar. Both fighters were in their 34th fight heading into the massive bout at Boardwalk Hall. They delivered a one-sided beatdown that forced the corner to stop the fight after the sixth round, giving them one of the best wins of their career and cementing their place as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the world.

"None of these fighters can mess with me," Ennis said. "I'm the best in the world."

Now, with the best win of his career under his belt, Ennis has his options whether he wants to stay at 147 pounds or move up to junior middleweight, which is one of boxing's best divisions. And regardless of the decision Ennis makes, you'd be hard-pressed not to make him the favorite no matter who is standing across from him.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero