Atlantic City — WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia has set his sights on a new challenge: IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Following Ennis’ dominant victory over Eimantas Stanionis on April 12, 2025, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Garcia didn’t hold back with his comments and issued a bold challenge.
Garcia, known for his explosive speed and confidence, admitted he wasn’t impressed by what he saw in the Ennis-Stanionis bout. “Boots like staying at 147 because all the champions there are poor — easy wins for him,” Garcia said. He noted that while Ennis is undeniably tough, he took several clean shots from Stanionis, revealing vulnerabilities that Garcia believes he can exploit.
“I don’t shy away from anybody,” Garcia declared. “I’m willing to do that, too… yeah, 100%. Another big fight, another mega-event — that’s what I like to do.”
The 25-year-old Garcia emphasized that if Ennis wants to be recognized as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best, he must start facing tougher opponents. “In order to be the pound-for-pound best fighter, you have to beat some pound-for-pound ranked fighters,” Garcia explained, mentioning names like Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz, and Israil Madrimov.
Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, echoed the sentiment, backing his fighter’s ambitions and asserting that Ennis needs to prove himself against the division’s elite.
As of now, Ennis has yet to respond to the challenge, but Garcia made it clear he’s serious — as long as the purse makes sense. Fans can expect more buzz in the coming weeks as pressure mounts on both camps to potentially make this high-stakes bout a reality.
