Vergil Ortiz vs Eimantas Stanionis for WBA Welterweight Title April 29, 2023
Ortiz, Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) of Grand Prairie, Texas has kicked opened the
door to challenge for a world title as he is set to fight undefeated World
Champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) of Kaunas, Lithuania for
Stanionis’s WBA Regular Welterweight Title. The 12-round championship
showdown is set to take place on Saturday, April 29 at College Park Center
at The University of Texas at Arlington campus. The exclusive fight night
will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.“I am beyond happy, knowing that we’re finally here, fighting for a world
title,” said Vergil Ortiz, Jr. “The work that we’ve done inside and outside
of the ring and the obstacles we’ve overcome has led to this moment.
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.”
“Vergil asked for this fight, so here we are,” said Eimantas Stanionis. “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.”
“There will be war inside the ring on April 29 as these two dangerous
fighters clash to be at the top of the welterweight division,” said
Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya. “Ortiz and
Stanionis are elite level fighters who will be unafraid to unleash
treacherous power and pressure to be crowned World Champion.”
“2023 is already developing into one of our best ever schedules with Ortiz
and Zurdo all set to fight in the first four months of the year,” said
Joseph Markowski, CEO North America, DAZN Group. “Vergil is a future World
Champion and this will be his toughest test to date versus a very tough
opponent in Stanionis. Watch this brilliant fight live and exclusive on
DAZN.”
With a 100 percent knockout ratio, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. sits near the top of
the stacked welterweight division. His most recent fight in August of 2022
was an entertaining scramble in front of a hometown Texan crowd against
Michael McKinson that added rounds to his boxing portfolio and a
seventh-round KO. The 24-year-old has had an exciting career since his 2016
debut, knocking out contenders like Antonio “Relentless” Orozco, Brad
“King” Solomon, and Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker. Ortiz is currently ranked
No. 1 by the WBA and WBO, No.2 by the WBA, and No. 3 by the IBF. This will
be the first time he will be fighting for a world championship.
Currently the WBA Regular Welterweight World Champion, Eimantas Stanionis
secured his title belt with a split-decision victory against Radzhab Butaev
in a toe-to-toe match-up last April 2022. The 28-year-old former Lithuanian
Olympian turned pro in 2017 after an impressive amateur career that amassed
a number of accolades, including representing his country at the 2016
Olympics in Brazil. Since turning pro, the undefeated fighter quickly went
from prospect to contender after beating the likes of Justin DeLoach, Janer
Gonzalez, and Thomas Dulorme.
