The clock is ticking, and it’s just a few hours before the ring walk begins for the Jaron Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis showdown tonight at 10 p.m. ET in Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Both fighters are undefeated as of now, making it an exciting match to watch. Boots will be defending his IBF welterweight title in this unification bout, yet the chances of him walking the venue with the belt seem to be slim for one reason.
In the weigh-in, he managed to stay under the 147 lbs limit of the division. While Stanionis weighed 146.8 lbs, the Philadelphia native’s scale showed 146.4 lbs. Not much of a difference. However, while his opponent looks completely fit and ready to take him down, Ennis looks slightly weak. Sure, weight cuts and dehydration are a natural part of a boxer’s routine, but some fans think it may be time for the 27-year-old to move up a category.
Boxing Kingdom shared a striking image on their X handle @BoxingKingdom14, featuring Jaron Ennis in two contrasting images. “Jarron Ennis weight cut,” the caption read. While one image pictured the 33-0 boxer at the gym, completely pumped up, the other captured him holding his red and golden belt, in a ribbed-out body.
Jarron Ennis weight cut. pic.twitter.com/GuYZrwm7va
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) April 12, 2025
It is very important for boxers to meet the weigh-in mark. If not, there are serious consequences that can potentially jeopardize their whole career. Remember the time when Benavidez was stripped of his WBC super middleweight title by missing the weight by being approximately 3 pounds heavier than allowed? Yeah, no one would want a repeat of that. And Ennis is far from getting his title snatched away like that. Yet, it looks like he may not be able to defend his chin against Stanionis.
With that, fans have dropped their concerns as well.
Empathy for the storm that comes Jaron Ennis’ way
A fan wrote, “Boxers so scared to fight close to their natural weight.” Currently, Ennis is cutting weight to cater to the welterweight limit of 147 lbs. However, this fan thinks that Boots is not fighting at his natural weight and is above welterweight. Additionally, some fighters are known to fight below their weight in order to carry a significant edge over their smaller and weaker opponents on fight nights. There are many reasons why boxers choose to go off their natural weight category; competition and financial incentives being two crucial ones.
Another fan commented, “That weight drain destroys your chin .” Draining weight, most of which comes from water, translates to a reduced ability to absorb punches effectively, given that one’s body is still in the process of rehydration. This poses a considerable threat of defeat or fatal injuries for boxers, as the chin can’t absorb punches upon dehydration.
Stating the better way to go about it, a fan wrote, “He should have moved up a long time ago.” As per the fan, the 27-year-old should’ve moved into the light middleweight division a long time ago, instead of pushing his limits to make the cut at his present weight division. In fact, there was considerable chatter last year for a potential matchup with Vergil Ortiz Jr. but that fell through. In fact, Ennis has himself expressed his goals to fight notable boxers like Canelo Álvarez, three weight classes above him at the moment. However, experts believe that the move could potentially derail his career since he’s yet to face the best in his current division.
One more fan expressed the shock saying, “Wow. He’s dry as a bone. Nearly zero water weight or body fat,” calling Ennis out on how bony he looked. However, most boxers go through this phase before their weigh-in. This happens a day before the match and soon after, they rehydrate, bringing them back to their optimal weight. The question is, will Ennis be able to get back at it in such a short time?
Standing out from the crowd, a fan commented, “Comparing a completely fully hydrated, Glycogenated Jaron Ennis, that’s clearly got a pump in the gym, to a carb depleted, dehydrated Jaron Ennis is kinda ridiculous.” It seems like the fan doesn’t buy the picture painted by the page but believes that it is natural for the boxer to look the way he is looking in either picture under different circumstances. Boxers like Sebastián Fundora appear to look thin during the weigh-in, but he has consistently performed well in the ring.
Another fan went on to say, “he look same as usual, y’all just pick a picture in the gym and the other at weight in and nobody look same at gym and weight in, put 2 weight cut picture and then you’ll find out that he always look like this,” denying there was any difference between this and the last time Ennis showed up for the weigh down.
While fans have a lot to say on the matter, it is actually for Ennis to know what works for him. It could even be that after rehydrating properly, he starts looking more pumped. Do you think Jaron Ennis is well-off with his weight transformation?
The post “Dry as a Bone”- Jaron Ennis’ Incredible Physical Transformation for Eimantas Stanionis Fight Leaves Boxing Fans in Disbelief appeared first on EssentiallySports.