WBA Regular welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) takes on unbeaten knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) on April 29th, 2023, at the College Park Center, The University of Texas, at Arlington campus, live on DAZN.
The bout was initially slated to take place on March 18th, 2023, in the same area, but it was pushed back due to Stanionis requiring surgery to remove his appendix. But now that it has been finalized, there is plenty at stake.
LIVE from ๐๐๐๐ผ๐โฆ @VergilOrtiz is ๐ฝ๐ผ๐พ๐ ๐
Eimantas Stanionis vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. for the WBA โregularโ welterweight title is LIVE on https://t.co/FoiaUucafv, April 29 ๐#StanionisOrtizJr pic.twitter.com/ee6tXyuG2E
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 13, 2023
Both fighters arrive with a significant amount of pedigree. Stanionis is the reigning WBA Regular welterweight world champion, having won the title in a closely-contested split-decision bout against Radzhab Butaev last year.
After turning professional in 2017, Stanionis swiftly rose to prominence by defeating Justin DeLoach, Janer Gonzalez, and Thomas Dulorme.
Ortiz Jr, on the other hand, has a perfect record of knocking out all of his opponents. Since he first stepped into the ring in 2016, Ortiz has defeated Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon, and Maurice Hooker.
In 2022, he put on a great show against Michael McKinson, which ended in a seventh-round KO, making him a credible mandatory challenger.
But with both fighters undefeated, someone has to come up short.
Reaction From The Fighters
“Stanionis is a great fighter with massive power and I know we are going to put on a good show for everyone. I want to thank my promoter, Golden Boy, the WBA, and my manager, Rick Mirigian for getting this across the finish line,” Ortiz Jr
“Vergil asked for this fight, so here we are. I feel like this is going to be a special fight. We have mutual respect as competitors but make no mistake it’s going to be an absolute war,” Stanionis