Jaron Ennis continued his unbeaten run Saturday night by eclipsing Eimantas Stanionis with a sixth-round technical knockout to successfully unify the IBF and WBA welterweight belts in a bruising world title fight.
Billed as the welterweight clash of the year in an explosive bout in Atlantic City, Ennis came out on top after subjecting the shell-shocked Stanionis to a series of damaging body shots that destabilised the more experienced opponent.
The 30-year-old Stanionis had started brightly, catching Ennis with two crunching overhand rights in the third round, but the firebrand Ennis, 27, responded with a dominant fourth round, crushing Stanionis with his hook while relentlessly targeting the Lithuanian's body.
Trouble came in the sixth round when Stanionis needed to drop down to one knee after being caught with several direct body shots in quick succession from Ennis.
Although he managed to finish the sixth round and returned to his corner, trainer Marvin Somodio decided not to allow him to come out for the seventh round, despite the Lithuanian's protestations.
With the win, Ennis now improves to 34-0, with 30 knockouts.
"I was determined to put on a show for you all," he said during his victory speech in what was the third defense of his IBF title.
"What's crazy is that I had a dream I was going to stop him just like this, and it came true."
"The biggest part was me having my fun, being myself, and having a live body in front of me. I put on a show, I had my fun, and I used my speed, power, and defense," he boasted.
It was a disappointing night for Stanionis, who fell to 15-1 with nine knockouts following the loss, but he was gracious enough to salute his opponent.
"He was aggressive and got the break when he needed it. I will be back," he offered.