A new date has been set for the highly anticipated clash between undefeated knockout sensation Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) of Grand Prairie, Texas and World Champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) of Kaunas, Lithuania for Stanionis’ WBA “regular” welterweight title.
It was scheduled for April 29, the bout was postponed after Ortiz, Jr. suffered a rhabdomyolysis flare-up due to long COVID. The 12-round championship showdown will now take place at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on July 8 and will be broadcast worldwide exclusively on DAZN.
The fight was originally set for March 18 – and pushed back when Stanionis was hospitalized and forced to undergo appendectomy surgery.
Lithuania’s Stanionis claimed the secondary WBA welterweight title in a hard-fought decision win over Radzhab Butaev. The fiercely contested twelve-round battle took place last April 16 at AT&T Stadium, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
Ortiz lobbied for his mandatory title status to be enforced last September. The WBA offered a guarantee that negotiations would begin if Stanionis did not secure a voluntary defense by November 16.
Their respective teams were unable to reach a deal in time to avoid a December 12 purse bid hearing, which was won by Golden Boy Promotions ($2,300,000) who outpaced TGB Promotions ($2,100,010) to secure the rights to the eagerly awaited welterweight clash.
In theory, the winner is due a shot at the WBA ‘Super’ title held by Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22KOs), who also holds the IBF and WBC titles.