Boxing has a stacked welterweight division, with Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford leading the pack. Below the two champions are several hard-hitting fighters and rising stars, and Eimantas Stanionis looks to be someone who can make an impact.
Spence (the WBA champion) and Crawford face one another on July 29 for the status of the undisputed welterweight champion. The WBA (Regular) champion, Stanionis, is ready to face the winner if he can get past Vergil Ortiz Jr. on July 8.
The fight is at the AT&T Center in San Antonio and will air live on DAZN.
Per Sports Interaction, Ortiz is the -400 favorite, while Stanionis is the +275 underdog. If he can defy the odds and halt Ortiz's momentum, Stanionis could become a major threat in the division.
WATCH: Eimantas Stanionis vs Vergil Ortiz Jr., live on DAZN
The Sporting News looks into the career of Stanionis, a man looking to spice things up at welterweight.
Who is Eimantas Stanionis?
Hailing from Lithuania, Stanionis (14-0) is a 2015 European Championships gold medalist. The 28-year-old made it to the 2016 Olympics but lost to Shakhram Giyasov following an impressive opening round.
Stanionis turned pro in 2017. Primarily competing in Texas and California, Stanionis fought in his first 12-round affair in 2021 against Thomas Dulorme, winning via unanimous decision. The only blip on his record is when he fought Luiz Collazo to a no-contest in August 2021 following an accidental clash of heads.
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He would not fight again until April 2022, when he beat Radzhab Butaev via split decision to win the WBA (Regular) welterweight title.
Stanionis was supposed to fight Ortiz twice before the July 8 matchup. The former backed out of the first booked bout due to an appendectomy, while Ortiz withdrew from the second attempt at a fight due to a recurring case of rhabdomyolysis. Now the two are finally ready to face off.