As Jaron Ennis steadily beat up Eimantas Stanionis in their April 12 welterweight unification bout, Marvin Somodio – Stanionis’ trainer – watched carefully from the corner.

Through three rounds, he thought his fighter was competitive. Per CompuBox, Ennis had landed just four more punches than Stanionis after the end of the third. Ennis was landing more power punches, but Stanionis got in the stiffer jabs and the occasional clean counter shot. After that, though, the fight took a turn.

“Fourth round, [Stanionis] was a little bit off,” Somodio told BoxingScene in an interview. “And then the fifth round, he was taking some good shots.”

In the sixth, Ennis intensified his attack, stringing together vicious body shots and dropping Stanionis with a series of left uppercuts. Though Stanionis rose to his feet and saw out the round, his face was bloodied, he was hurt and he was falling behind fast on the scorecards.

Stanionis wanted to continue, but Somodio stopped the fight.

“The only way we can win the fight is by knockout, and I see his punches – there’s no more strength, there’s no power,” Somodio said of the fight after the sixth round. “So 10 percent he might land and hurt Boots, and 90 percent he might get knocked out. And then he will suffer for the rest of his life. So I said, ‘OK, it’s time.’”

To some fans and media members, the end of the fight felt abrupt. But none of them know Stanionis as well as the man who has trained him since 2017.

“I know him, and he’ll never quit,” Somodio said. “He always say [sic], ‘Marvin, do or die.’ That’s why I’m happy every time he says that – but I’m here to protect him at the end of the day.”

As a former fighter himself, Somodio knows well the risks of boxing. Freddie Roach served as his mentor – not only a renowned trainer but someone who has also dealt with the ill effects of punches to the head.

“I’ve been in boxing for a while now – more than a decade. I’ve seen fighters win, fighters [lose]. I’ve seen fighters give fans a very good fight, but they suffer for the rest of their life,” Somodio reflected. “With that experience, I analyze what’s going to be good for the future. I always look out for my fighters. Even if they don’t fight later, at least you know they walk away with a healthy body, healthy mind, and they’re able to provide for their family without boxing. Or they’re not going to be a burden for their family after boxing.”

Legendary boxers like Arturo Gatti became iconic for mid-fight turnarounds and the ability to win off the back of that 10 percent chance that he might hurt his opponent. Such comebacks are cinematic and inspiring, and are rightfully praised by fans and fighters alike. But they also come at a real cost, and cannot possibly be the standard all trainers hold their fighters to in the best interests of protecting them.

“If you get beat up too much, there will be a long-term effect,” Somodio said. “You see the great fighters who have been to war, get knocked down, get back up and fight again – and also young fighters that became world champion, that gave great fights. But where are they now? How long [do] they last in this sport? There’s a lot of fighters that died, also, during the fight, after the fight. Boxing is not an easy sport. You have to know that limitation. You have to know when to stop.”

After the fight, Somodio explained his rationale to Stanionis, well aware that trainers tend to get fired if a boxer disagrees vehemently enough with a decision to wave the towel (see: Wilder, Deontay, and Breland, Mark). But he prioritizes his fighters’ safety over keeping a job, so he didn’t hesitate to make his decision.

“I explained to him, ‘I know you so well. I know your mind is so strong. I know your body language, and when to push you, and when to pull you back. So just trust me.’ And then he understood, and he said thank you and sorry for his performance.

“I said, ‘There’s nothing to worry about. I just want you to be healthy. One hundred percent, you’ll be back. You’re not beat up, you’re safe. We prevented it before it happened.’”

Stanionis was able to congratulate Ennis (whom Somodio described as “unstoppable” and growing “stronger every round”) on his own power. He has since reunited with his pregnant wife, who was due to have the baby before the fight.

“The baby waited for him!” Somodio said. “I spoke to him last night, and he said everything is good. Emily started contracting, I think the baby’s gonna come anytime soon. I’m very happy. I’m happy he was able to come home.”

Somodio understands, from the nature of boxing and watching Roach, that criticism is inevitable. But he is secure in his decision, and bears no ill will toward the naysayers.

“I thank the fans that criticize me. It means they’re watching us, and they love us to win,” he said. “That’s why they want us to continue the fight. The people rooting for Boots, of course they’re happy that I stopped it! But at the end of the day, my priority is my fighter’s health.”

Somodio is committed to the partnership – the list of fighters who want to work with him is long, and he can’t take on every potential opportunity, because he pours so much of his energy into the fighters he’s already working with. With Stanionis being 30 years old and a veteran of just 16 professional fights, Somodio believes his fighter has plenty left and hopes he gets another chance to fight for a world title.

Somodio believes Stanionis is committed, too. After Stanionis ended a stint working with Ronnie Shields in Houston and began working with Somodio again, Somodio told him that once he won a world title, he would have enough money to choose any trainer he liked.

“He said, ‘No, Marvin. I will retire with you,’” Somodio remembered. “That’s what I recall the first time we worked together, when he came back. So I believe he will still work with me. If not, of course, I will still support him, One hundred percent. He’s a very good guy. I will still be his fan.”

Owen Lewis is a former intern at Defector media and writes and edits for BoxingScene. His beats are tennis, boxing, books, travel and anything else that satisfies his meager attention span. He is on Bluesky.