There’s simply no other way to put it. Things have flat-out been a disaster for Eimantas Stanionis as of late.
April 16th, 2022, was essentially his proudest moment as a pro. On the night, the Lithuanian born contender achieved a lifelong dream of becoming a world champion, albeit a secondary one.
Winning wasn’t just a joyful feeling for the 28-year-old but it was supposed to open up countless doors for him. In the first defense of his WBA “Regular” title, Stanionis agreed to take on Vergil Ortiz Jr. Yet, through no fault of his own, Ortiz was unable, from a physical standpoint, to make it to fight night. Their latest cancellation was particularly heartbreaking.
Having prepared his body for war, Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) was informed on fight week that Ortiz was unfit to be his dance partner. Officially, it’s been nearly a year and a half since Stanionis entered the ring. As he now scours the welterweight division for a ready and willing opponent, Jaron Ennis has thrown his name into the mix.
When last seen, the 26-year-old was doing a number on Roiman Villa, brutally stopping him on, ironically enough, the same night Stanionis was scheduled to face Ortiz. With Ennis mentioning Stanionis’ name, the regular titlist recently revealed that he would love to face him next.
“Yes,” said Stanionis when asked if he would face Ennis at the end of the year. “I would fight anyone. I just want a good dance partner.”
Stanionis’ spartan-like mentality is appreciated but that doesn’t mean it would be a sagacious move. Since Stanionis has been forced to the sidelines, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) has put together an active schedule, fighting a total of three times in that same span.
Rust is beginning to build on Stanionis’ skills. Ultimately, he admits that it would be discerning if he faced a much lesser name before jumping into the deep end. The only problem with that, however, is Stanionis loathes taking soft touches.
“Maybe it’s not smart, I was off for a long time. I just want to fight. I don’t like tune-ups.”