Unbeaten Eimantas Stanionis defends his WBA ‘Regular’ welterweight title against undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, April 29. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 12 rounds bout live stream on DAZN.
“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.”
28-year-old Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) was in action last April at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas where he took the belt by split decision against Radzhab Butaev. In 2021, a native of Kaunas, Lithuania faced Luis Collazo in a bout that ended in No Contest, following a cut suffered by his opponent due to an accidental head clash, and defeated Thomas Dulorme by unanimous decision.
“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.”
Vergil Ortiz Jr (19-0, 19 KOs) last fought in August 2022 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas where he TKO’d former European champion Michael McKinson in the ninth round to retain his WBO International welterweight strap. Prior to that, the 24-year-old knockout artist from Grand Prairie, Texas stopped Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the eighth round and Maurice Hooker in Round 7.
“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.”
The list of bouts featured on Stanionis vs Ortiz Jr undercard, as well as ticket information, is expected to be announced shortly.
“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.”
In Australia, the event airs live on Sunday, April 30.
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