The circumstances were never ideal, Jaron Ennis simply learned to deal with them.

Even before his name began ringing bells, Ennis was known for his awe-inspiring talent. Behind the scenes, established world champions were raving about him, trainers were in disbelief, and the word around town was universal, that Philly kid is the truth.

As Ennis grew in age, so did his skills. Now, he’s reached the point where he’s unable to remain lowkey.

The 27-year-old was always supposed to be a world champion but when it finally happened, he was criticized left and right. Reason being, he never officially fought for it, he was merely elevated from interim to full titlist.

Still, he has a chance to make things right. On April 12th, in Atlantic City, Ennis will attempt to unify the division when he takes on Eimantas Stanionis. On paper, the Lithuanian will be the most difficult opponent of his career.

Like Ennis, Stanionis benefited from the log jam that was created then removed by Terence Crawford. But while his road to a title was incredibly similar to Ennis’, he wasn’t lambasted to the same degree.

All of that, however, is something that Ennis takes with a grain of salt. He knows that fighters of his caliber are subject to a different standard. And, to his own admission, Ennis knows that he didn’t live up to those expectations in his last ring appearance.

Against Karen Chukhadzhian, Ennis fought apathetically. And while he still managed to pull off the win, he knows that he needs to do better and promises to do so.

Unfortunately for Stanionis, Ennis plans on taking out his frustrations and proving a point on him. As far as a prediction, the Philly star wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag. He did, however, urge fans to get their popcorn ready to enjoy the show.

“You’re gonna see a magnificent performance by me,” said Ennis to YSM Sports Media. “A flawless performance. Just tune in.”