Philly’s favorite boxer ‘Boots’ Ennis is bringing a big-time bout back to Atlantic City

Jaron Ennis noted one of his all-time favorite fights was the night Floyd Mayweather Jr. absolutely destroyed Arturo Gatti in a 2005 clash at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

“Boots” Ennis called Mayweather’s decisive win a bit of an inspiration ahead of his own title fight Saturday night in the same venue.

“I’m going to try and put on a historic performance just like that,” Ennis said.

After two straight title defenses in his Philadelphia hometown, Ennis (33-0 29 KOs) defends his share of the 147-pound championship against Lithuanian fighter Eimantas Stanionis in the biggest fight to headline Boardwalk Hall in more than a decade.

The 27-year-old Ennis has won seven straight fights overall and made three straight successful title defense since he defeated Ukrainian fighter Karen Chukhadzhian for the championship in January 2023. Stanionis, though not as highly regarded as a fighter as Ennis, has own share of the welterweight championship among the convoluted alphabet organizations that run boxing.

“You will get the fight of the year,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said, with the usual hubris of any boxing promoter, “and you will get it back at Atlantic City. At the historic Boardwalk Hall. This venue is iconic with huge fights, with huge names.”

Sure, rattle off the names and fights that once headlined cards in Atlantic City — Mike Tyson, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield, for starters — and Hearn isn’t wrong about the city’s proud spot in boxing history. The problem is, all those great knockouts and can’t-miss pay-per-view fights are in the distant past as Atlantic City faded as a fight night destination.

Boardwalk Hall hasn’t held a major title fight since Sergey Kovalev beat Bernard Hopkins on Nov. 8, 2014, in a light heavyweight championship bout. Eleider Alvarez beat Kovalev and won the 175-pound championship by knockout at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in 2018 in what can be generously described as the last big-time bout in Atlantic City.

As Atlantic City casinos withered over the last dozen or so years, so did interest in hosting boxing cards.

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center in New York host some of the biggest domestic cards while the true headline bouts — topped by Tyson Fury’s win over Francis Ngannou in October 2023 — are held in Saudi Arabia. Celebrity bouts such as Jake Paul’s win over a 58-year-old Tyson have become the rage and can pack 70,000 fans inside a football stadium, a number that crushes what Hearn expected would be a sellout crowd of 10,000 fans on Saturday night.

Mixed martial arts global leader UFC not only surpassed boxing as a weekend fight attraction, CEO Dana White is set to run a new boxing promotion as part of a business deal with Saudi Arabia. The first TKO Group boxing card will be held in 2026.

Atlantic City has latched on to Ennis to try and raise a boxing revival in the city.

Ennis was raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and was a Golden Gloves gold medalist as an amateur. He made his pro debut in 2016.

Ennis headlined a card in July that attracted a surprising 14,119 fans to the Wells Fargo Center and his next bout in November at the home of the Flyers and 76ers saw that number dip to about 10,000 fans at the fight.

His last two fights were rather lackluster efforts, including a unanimous decision win in the November rematch over Chukhadzhian.

“I felt it was an OK performance,” Ennis said after the fight.

OK isn’t good enough for a fighter who has been vocal about wanting to fight Errol Spence Jr. or Terence Crawford. He’d also like a shot at Canelo Alvarez. Ennis also hasn’t ruled out a move up in weight class to 154 pounds.

“Boots never went to another level yet,” his father and trainer Boozy Ennis said. “I hope Stanionis can bring it out of him. That’s what I’m waiting on. Then you’ll see a different Boots.”

Ennis is at -600 to win, per BETMGM Sportsbook.

Stanionis (15-0 9 KOs) has more than a championship to fight for on Saturday. His wife is pregnant and due any day — he guaranteed he would not leave Atlantic City until after the bout.

Stanionis boasted against Ennis he would be “all gas, no brakes.”

“He’s going to run right into a rock,” Ennis said.