Eimantas Stanionis Needs a New Foe to Replace Former WBA Mandatory Ortiz
WBA Regular welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9KO) is no longer contractually tied to fighting #1 contender Vergil Ortiz Jr (19-0, 19KO). After the fight was postponed for a third time, it seems Ortiz Jr’s aspiration of being a champion has hit a roadblock.
According to Fight Freaks Unite, the WBA championship committee voted to remove the Texan as the mandatory challenger. This outcome is far from shocking, considering Ortiz Jr pulled out of the fight due to medical reasons for a second time.
In November 2022, the WBA ordered the fighters’ teams to start the negotiation process. After the fight went to purse bid, Golden Boy which promotes Ortiz Jr, emerged as the winner.
This news will undoubtedly be a huge blow to Team Ortiz. Any plans they may have been working on to reschedule are now irrelevant.
A REMATCH WITH BUTAEV COULD BE NEXT FOR STANIONIS
The Lithuanian has been out of the ring for over a year. The WBA Regular champion is going to be looking for a dance partner, and when looking at the rankings, a fight with an old rival could be on the horizon.
WBA #2 rated Shakhram Giyasov would be a good option. Former unified champion Keith Thurman holds the #3 slot. However, Thurman is looking at a showdown against former champion Yordenis Ugas.
That leaves the door open for a rematch with #4 Radzhab Butaev. On April 2022, in a fan-friendly toe-to-toe war, Stanionis avenged two amateur losses by scoring a split-decision win over Butaev for the vacant WBA Regular title.
It will be interesting to see what direction Team Stanionis decides to take next.
