Ortiz pulls out of Staniosis fight

In an unfortunate turn of events, the highly anticipated clash between 147-pound contenders Vergil Ortiz and Eimantas Stanionis, set to take place in San Antonio, has been postponed due to an unforeseen incident involving Ortiz. Reports suggest that Ortiz was taken to the hospital after passing out, but no further details about his condition or the status of the matchup have been disclosed.

This is the third time that the fight has faced a setback. Initially scheduled for March, it was delayed when Eimantas had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. Following a reset for April, the bout was once again rescheduled due to Ortiz's blood disorder.

Despite this setback, the remainder of the event will proceed as planned. The main event will feature an intriguing matchup between lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield (14-0, 11 KOs) and Haskell Rhodes (28-4-1, 13 KOs).

Promoter Golden Boy expressed full support for Ortiz's decision, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the fighters' safety. They also highlighted the opportunity for Floyd Schofield, one of Golden Boy's top prospects, to gain more exposure by headlining the event in his home state of Texas.

Ortiz, who has faced challenges with both the blood disorder rhabdomyolysis and long COVID, recently revealed that he felt completely healthy for the first time in years during an interview with Boxing Junkie. His last fight occurred in August, where he secured a knockout victory over Michael McKinson in nine rounds. Notably, this was his sole bout in the past two years.

On the other side, Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) enters the matchup fresh off a hard-fought split-decision win against Radzhab Butaev in April.

Finesse Boxing