Eimantas Stanionis Retains WBA Welterweight Title in Unanimous Decision Victory over Gabriel Maestre
Las Vegas, Saturday – Eimantas Stanionis, the reigning WBA welterweight champion, ended a two-year stretch of inactivity by earning a decisive unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Maestre at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Stanionis, hailing from Lithuania, last competed in April 2022, when he secured a split decision win over Radzhab Butaev. The cancellation of a highly anticipated title defense against Vergil Ortiz Jr. had contributed to the 29-year-old champion’s extended period of inactivity, during which he was arguably in his prime.
The champion’s performance on Saturday was convincing, with the judges scoring the bout 117-111, 118-110, and 119-109 in Stanionis’ favor. While Maestre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan, landed a strong left hand in the opening round that momentarily stunned Stanionis, the champion quickly responded with increased aggression, gradually building a commanding lead.
“Throughout the fight, Stanionis’ sharper punches and greater strength proved to be the differentiating factors. The Lithuanian boxer dictated the pace of the bout, landing cleaner and more accurate shots, despite Maestre’s persistent efforts to remain competitive.”
As early as the fourth round, Maestre appeared to be in danger of being stopped, but he continued to fight with intent, even if his effectiveness waned. Stanionis landed another telling left hand in the ninth round, following up with powerful body shots, further slowing down his challenger.
While Stanionis lacked the knockout power to finish Maestre, his dominant performance was never in doubt, as he cruised to a well-deserved unanimous decision victory, retaining his WBA welterweight title.
The undercard of the event featured several other compelling bouts, including a ninth-round stoppage win for Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. over Johan Gonzalez in a junior middleweight contest, as well as unanimous decision victories for Vito Mielnicki Jr., William Scull, Julian Bridges, Lawrence King, and Adrian Torres in their respective matchups.
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