A stacked boxing weekend took a hit when Eimantas Stanionis vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. was nixed again at the last second. The WBA (Regular) title fight, meant for July 8, has been scrapped for the third time.
Airing on DAZN, the new main event for the Golden Boy-produced show will be Floyd Schofield vs. Haskell Rhodes.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our fighters, and we, of course, support Vergil's decision 100 percent," Golden Boy said in a release. "This unfortunate event does however open the door for one of Golden Boy's top prospects, Floyd Schofield, to accelerate his profile by headlining in his home state of Texas. We will, as always, put on a high-action card from top to bottom on July 8 and look forward to showcasing all of our fighters both in San Antonio and on DAZN."
Shelly Finkel, Stanionis' manager, told Yahoo Sports that Ortiz got taken to a hospital. Per Dan Rafael, Ortiz's manager stated doctors would not let him fight, a statement opposite of Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya, who said Ortiz himself pulled out of the bout.
WATCH: Floyd Schofield vs. Haskell Rhodes, live on DAZN
"He (Golden Boy President Eric Gomez) called me and said, '[Ortiz] fainted last night and was taken to the hospital, and we're waiting on the doctors to know if there's a fight," Finkel told Yahoo before the fight got called.
It is the latest case of Ortiz needing to postpone a bout, as the 25-year-old has only fought four times since 2020.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. medical history
Health concerns started for Ortiz when he tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020. It resulted in a nixed bout against Samuel Vargas, whom he eventually beat in July of that year.
"I got it around February of 2020, and I got real sick," Ortiz told Yahoo. "That was the sickest I'd ever been. We know all the symptoms, but I literally got the worst of it."
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After testing positive for a second time in 2021, Ortiz beat Maurice Hooker. His medical issues continued, ultimately getting hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a breakdown of muscle tissue, resulting in the release of myoglobin into the blood. The condition would affect a scheduled fight against Michael McKinson, which was rebooked from March 2022 to August.
Ortiz was supposed to fight Stanionis in March 2023, but the latter backed out due to an appendectomy. Rebooked for April, Ortiz backed out this time after suffering from a recurring case of rhabdomyolysis.
The weight cut to 147 may be a factor, with the boxing world discussing the idea Ortiz should move up in weight. Jaron Ennis, also fighting this weekend, sent his regards to Ortiz and insisted he should wait to fight again.
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"I hope he gets better," Ennis told Boxing Scene. "I wish him luck. His main focus right now should just be getting himself together, you know, getting healthy. I feel like it's serious. I can't say what I would do because I'm not in that situation. But if I was him, my main focus would be getting healthy and not worrying about fighting right now, at this moment, and just get to a hundred percent. I feel like maybe he was rushing his recovery. At the end of the day, like I said before, his health is more important than anything."
The Texas-born fighter insisted he was ready to go this time around, which unfortunately wasn't the case. It is unknown what Ortiz's status is at this moment.
The Sporting News will provide more updates on Ortiz when provided.