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Vergil Ortiz Jr. To Challenge World Champion Eimantas
Stanionis For The WBA Regular Welterweight World Title April
29 In Texas
Undefeated knockout sensation Vergil 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.
Information on tickets and the undercard will be announced
in the upcoming weeks.
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