Notebook: At long last, Stanionis returns from two-year layoff
WBA "regular" welterweight titlist defends on Canelo-Munguia PPV card; Tyson, Paul, Taylor, Serrano hit road for media tour open to public; Quick hits; Show and tell
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A ring return has been a long time coming for WBA “regular” welterweight titleholder Eimantas Stanionis.
It will have been 25 months since he last fought, that bout being a rousing battle against Radzhab Butaev that Stanionis won by split decision to claim the belt on the Errol Spence Jr.-Yordenis Ugas undercard in April 2022.
He had a mandatory fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. scheduled but it was postponed twice — once because Stanionis needed an emergency appendectomy and once because of a recurrence of Ortiz’s blood disorder — and then ultimately canceled when Ortiz passed out during fight week due to dehydration.
Ortiz has boxed twice since then but at long last Stanionis gets back to action to make his first defense against Gabriel Maestre on Saturday (Prime Video PPV, DAZN PPV, PPV.com, 8 p.m., $89.99) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“It’s been a long time and I’m very happy to be back in the ring,” Stanionis said. “It’s amazing to fight on this big card on Cinco de Mayo weekend. I can’t really describe how great I feel. I know Maestre well and I know there will be fireworks.”
Understandably, Stanionis took the delays and eventual cancelation of the Ortiz fight hard. He is in his prime, holds a title and was due to make his first seven-figure payday. Instead, two years have past without competing or getting paid.
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