Vergil Ortiz out again, San Antonio Card Will Still Go On.

The Eimantas Stanionis VS Eimantas Stanionis WBA "Regular" World Title fight seems to be cursed. The fight, was scheduled for Saturday, July 8th, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, is off again. This is the third time the bout was pushed back and maybe off altogether. It was originally scheduled for March 28th. However, Stanioins had to pull out due to appendicitis. That required an emergency appendectomy. The bout was rescheduled for April 29th in Arlington, and that fight date was pushed back, when Ortiz, a Grand Prairie native, suffered a flare-up of his previously diagnosed rhabdomyolysis. The fight was then moved to Saturday in Alamo City and is now possibly off. The Texan, was hospitalized after passing out.

Ortiz's promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, expressed concern for his best fighter saying, "This is the third time we are very concerned." However insisted that Ortiz was "OK" and was told that "Doctors said he will make a full recovery and fight again." The promoter also suggested that his undefeated welterweight maybe moving-up from 147 pounds to 154 pounds.

The card will still go on and is loaded with Texas talent. It will now be headlined by 20-year-old phenom Floyd Schofield of Austin, 14-0 (8), who will battle with Haskell Rhodes in a 10-round lightweight affair. Also, Houston native and unified Flyweight champ Marlen Esparza will look to add another strap when she battles Gabriela Celeste Alaniz of Argentina. Texas-based prospect Tristian Kalkreuth 10-1 (7) of Duncanville, and Darius Fulghum, 5-0 (5) of Houston, will all be featured on the Texas-centric card.

Vergil Ortiz and Marlen Esparza Likely to Return July 8, Possibly in San Antonio

Saturday's Golden Boy Card on the grounds of UT Arlington was supposed to showcase world title fights, including Grand Prairie native Vergil Oritz plus unified women's Flyweight champ Marlen Esparza of Houston. However, both those fights have been axed. Ortiz's title fight with WBA 'regular' world title holder Eimantas Stanionis was called-off when Ortiz suffered a flare-up of Rhabdomyolysis, a serious medical condition he was diagnosed with last year before his original fight date with Michael McKinson in the first quarter of 2022.

Esparza, who holds the WBA and WBC Flyweight titles, was supposed to meet up with WBO champ "La Chucky '' Gabriela Celeste Alaniz of Argentina. That fight fell through as Alaniz's visa was not processed and approved in time. According to Golden Boy president Eric Gomez, there's nothing legally holding it up, and there's no reason to think the Visa won't be approved. It "just takes time," and it took more time than expected, and they ran out of time.

Both these fights will likely be rescheduled for July 8th and possibly in San Antonio at the AT&T Center. Golden Boy originally planned to keep the card in the DFW area but had trouble finding a venue according to Gomez. They have done well in San Antonio, and it's still in Ortiz's and Esparza's home state. The Alamo City has been particularly friendly to Esparza. She scored two consecutive wins in the Alamo City in 2021-22. She picked up two lopsided decisions. First over Anabel Ortiz at the AT&T Center in late 2021. The Houstonian then scored one of the most important wins of her impressive career by outpointing Naoko Fujioka in a unification bout in which Esparza also became the first ever Ring Magazine Women's Flyweight Champ at the Alamodome on the undercard of Ryan Garcia VS Emmanuel Tagoe in front of a crowd of nearly 15,000 fans.

Ortiz Possibly Returning July 8th

Some good news for North Texas fight fans. We reported last week, after speaking to trainer Manny Robles, that Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie was recovering well and doing great. Those reports are apparently true! The number WBA's number one-ranked welterweight could be back in the ring by July 8th.

Multiple sources reported that Ortiz, 19-0 (19), will finally meet up with WBA Regular champ Eimantas Stanionis on July 8th. The rumors have not been confirmed, and no location is attached to the date. However, the reports on Ortiz are positive. The showdown with Stanionis was originally scheduled for March 18th. However, the reigning champion had to back out due to emergency appendectomy surgery. The fight was rescheduled for April 29th but was again canceled, when Ortiz suffered a rhabdomyolysis flare-up.

Ortiz last fought back in August and stopped British opponent Micahel McKinson in the ninth round at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth!

Ortiz "Doing Well" "Expected to return in Late Summer": April 29th card will be Headlined by William Zepeda

Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz, 19-0 (19) had to pull out of his April 29th showdown with Eimantas Stanionis due to a flare-up of his rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. The fight was originally scheduled for March 18th, and Eimantas Stanionins had to pull out of the fight for medical reasons as well. He needed emergency appendectomy surgery in January, pushing the fight back till April.

Ortiz had to postpone a 2022 fight with fringe contender Michael McKinson when he was originally diagnosed with the medical condition. According to the CDC'S website rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability. Rhabdo occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. These substances can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability or even death. According to the National Institute of Health, Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by a litany of things, including but not limited to infections, muscle ischemia, electrolyte and metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, exertion or prolonged bed rest, and temperature-induced states.

According to Ortiz's head trainer Manny Robles, Vergil Ortiz is "Healing quickly and feeling a lot better" Robles went on to say that "He won't be out for long. We are expecting him to be back by late summer." that's good news for the undefeated knockout artists growing fan base in North Texas. Ortiz last fought in August at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth and scored and 9th-round TKO victory over Mckinson.

Golden Boy will keep the April 29th date that they had scheduled for Ortiz on the Grounds of UT-Arlington and it will be headlined by lightweight contender William Zepeda. Zepeda handed San Antonio-based contender Hector Tanajara his only career loss back in 2021 and has been surging ever since will battle with Jaime Arboleda of Curundu, Panama.

Ortiz Jr Suffers Rhabdomyolysis Flare Up, Stanionis Title Fight Postponed

For the second time in about 12 months, Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz will have to pull out of a major fight due to rhabdomyolysis. He was scheduled to fight Eimantas Stanionis for his WBA Regular title on April 29th. A win in that fight would put him in line to fight the WBA Super champ, Errol Spence of DeSoto. The April 9th bout with Stanionis was originally scheduled for March 18th. However, Stanionis had to postpone the bout due to an emergency appendectomy. The bout was rescheduled for April 29th and is now, being pushed back again. The North Texan took to Instagram to release a statement saying he "had a flare-up rhabdomyolysis and not feeling anywhere near myself." Ortiz went on to say he is "optimistic that this fight will still happen just on a later date." Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Ortiz, and won the purse bid for the bout also released a statement saying, "Ortiz Jr is expected to make a full recovery and return to the ring later this year" and added that "More Information on the April 29th event will be announced shortly." Texas Boxing Scene reached out to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, for comment and said that he had "no info yet" but would keep us posted.

Ortiz had to pull out of a fight with contender Michael McKinson last March due to the same condition. McKinson won that night when he outpointed Alex Martin, who was a last-minute substitution for Ortiz. McKinson finally met up with Ortiz in August of 2022 at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth. Ortiz was pushed into the deepest waters of his career, going past the seventh round for the first time. Ortiz finally stopped the elusive McKinson in the ninth round to extend his consecutive knockout streak to 19, moving his record to 19-0 (19).

Vergil Ortiz Returns Home on April 29th to Challange for First World Title

Grand Prairie's favorite son will return home, officially, On April 29th, or about as close to home as possible. Virgil Ortiz, the #1 contender per the WBA will fight for his first major world title as he takes on WBA "Regular" World Champ Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) of Kaunas, Lithuania. The bout will take place at College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington campus and will be aired on DAZN! The North Texan took to Facebook yesterday to formally announce his fight that was originally set to take place on March 18th. However, Stanions had to pull out due to emergency Appendectomy Surgery.

Ortiz expressed his excitement about the official announcement “I am beyond happy, knowing that we’re finally here, fighting for a world title" He also took to Facebook to let the announcement be known posting" I’m back on April 29th at UTA in Arlington, Texas

This one will be for the WBA Welterweight World Title. I’ll announce when the tickets go on sale. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody there I’m very excited about this one "

Recent DFW natives Maurice Hooker and Errol Spence had to travel to England and win their world titles on the road. Making this a unique opportunity for Ortiz and a special moment for his hometown fan base, who will get to celebrate winning the world title with him. The north Texan has built up quite a fan base in the DFW metroplex. He has continued to fight in the area over and over again. He has fought in the metroplex a total of six times and is 6-0, with all six wins coming by stoppage. He will look to continue that perfect streak on April 29th.

It is what potentially comes after this fight that makes this fight even more interesting for the undefeated Grand Prairie native. Should Ortiz win, which he is expected to, he becomes the mandatory challenger to fight the WBA super champ, Errol Spence of Desoto. That would likely be at AT&T Stadium and would be one of the biggest fights in Texas boxing history! It has been rumored, however, that Spence was going up to 154 to fight Keith Thurman, those rumors have not come to fruition but there is much speculation if Spence, a giant 147-pounder, is all done at welterweight and moving up to Jr middleweight. If that's the case, Ortiz would likely be looking at a unification fight with pound-for-pound elite and WBO champ Terence Crawford. Crawford has been in negotiations with Ortiz's promoter Golden Boy to discuss a potential multi-fight deal that would put the two champions against each other.

Ortiz last fought in August and stopped Michael Mckinson inside of nine rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19) at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Stannions is no stranger to Texas. He last fought at AT&T Stadium on the undercard of Spence vs Ugas last April. He scored a controversial and close 12-round split decision over Radzhab Butaev to capture the WBA regular strap.

Stanionis Needs Emergency Appendectomy Ortiz Fight Sidelined till April

Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz was scheduled to fight Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania on March 18th for the WBA "Regular" Welterweight title. That fight will be postponed. The Lithuanian had an appendectomy Friday in Lithuania. Stanionis promoter Richard Schaefer has been in communication with Golden Boy, who represents Ortiz and won the Purse bid for the fight. Schaefer said, "We communicated to Golden Boy, who is going to look at available dates for the second half of April... He [ Stanionis] needs to follow doctor's orders, and he will be ready to go.

So the fight is not off for good and will only be postponed a few weeks. Additional good news for North Texas area fight fans the fight is still expected to be held in the DFW area. At the time of the postponement, no venue was nailed down. However, the bout is still expected to be held in the area.

Golden Boy won the bid last year with a bid of $2.3 million. According to WBA guidelines, Ortiz would earn a 25% split or roughly $575,000 with $1.75 million going to Stanionis, the champion. Multiple sources have reported that Golden Boy will be chipping in more money for Ortiz who is obviously a much bigger star in Texas.

Ortiz last fought in August at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth and scored a ninth-round TKO over Michael McKinson, of Britain to run his record to a perfect 19-0, with all 19 wins coming by way of stoppage. Stanionis sports a 14-0 (9) record and also had his last fight in the DFW Metroplex. He outpointed Radzhab Butaev over 12 rounds at AT&T Stadium. That was last April on the undercard of Spence-Ugas.

Vergil Ortiz Returns to Dallas Area to Challange for First World Title

Undefeated welterweight phenom Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie will return to North Texas to make his first world title shot. Ortiz will battle WBA "regular" World Champion Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania.

The bout went to purse bids and was won by Golden Boy Promotions back in December for $ 2.3 million and will take place in the DFW area on March 18th. No Venue has been announced yet. However, each fighter fought their last bout in the DFW Metroplex. Ortiz fought in August and stopped Michael McKinson at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth and Stanionis fought at AT&T Stadium and outpointed Radzhab Butaev to capture the WBA title.

The bigger news is the winner of the bout will be the mandatory challenger for the WBA "Super" World Champion, which happens to be Errol Spence of DeSoto. This means if Ortiz wins, which he will be favored to, a long-awaited all-DFW Shootout with Spence will be mandated by the WBA.

Ortiz is 24 years old and has long been considered one of the premier prospects in the sport. The Grand Prairie native sports a perfect 19-0 (19) record. Stanionis is also undefeated at 14-0 (9).

Golden Boy Wins Ortiz vs Stanionis Purse Bid

Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie defeated Michael McKinson back in August in Fort Worth at the Dickies Arena. He stopped Michael McKinson over nine-one-sided rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19). In doing so, he became the mandatory challenger for the WBA "Regular" Champion Eimantas Stanionis. The two were ordered to fight by the WBA and it was Ortiz's promotional outfit, Golden Boy Promotions, that won the WBA title fight with a bid of $2.3 million outdueling, TGB Promotions, which is closely tied to PBC, who bid $2.1 million. According to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, the fight will take place in either L.A. or Texas and will likely be held in late March. Ortiz is guaranteed to make a minimum of $575,000, and Stanionins, the champ, will get 75% of the purse, or $1,725,000. The bout will stream on DAZN.

Stanionis hails from Lithuania and sports a record of 14-0 (9). He captured the title back in April by outpointing Radzhab Butaev in a highly competitive fight that was the co-main event of the Errol Spence vs Yordenis Ugas unification bout in Las Vegas. Stanionis was moved along quickly after a very successful amateur career that included winning a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships in the welterweight bracket and had wins over Justin DeLoach, and Thomas Dulorme, and faced former champ Luis Collazo but it ended in a no contest after an accidental but vicious clash of heads in the fourth rounds.