WBA welterweight world champion Eimantas Stanionis has told FightsATW that he plans to manage himself following a unanimous decision win over Gabriel Maestre on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s capitulation of Jaime Munguia on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) had to wait over two years to make the first defense of his belt due to a bout with Vergil Ortiz Jr. continuously falling through. The Lithuanian had claimed his title over Radzhab Butaev in a split-decision victory to become his nation’s first-ever world champion in April 2022. Venezuela’s 37-year-old Maestre, a fast-tracked two-time Olympian, put a stop to Stanionis’ endless spell of inactivity when he faced him on the Canelo-Munguia undercard. However, despite commanding scores of 119-109, 118-110, and 117-111 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the performance has not satisfied the 29-year-old.
Stanionis Reflects On The Cinco De Mayo Weekend Event
“The performance wasn’t good. I know I can do better,” Stanionis said in an exclusive interview. “It was a very long time. It was two years I was just waiting and waiting. I think it was down to this waiting period and a lot of other things going on in my life, you know. I had some strange feeling when I was going into the ring. I was happy, then I was thinking if this is real or not. I remember the first round, we were boxing, and then he hit me through my guard. I knew then I was in a real fight; it had been a long time, but I was very happy to be back. The performance was okay after two years out, but I just didn’t perform like I know I could.
“The event was very big, they say you can’t buy experience. I’ve been on big events, but a Canelo card, the media attention after two years away was crazy. It was new territory for me; it was a new experience, but next time, I’ll know how to deal with it. I was doing okay with it, but in some places, I wasn’t sure how to speak or when to spend time with fans. The media attention, I have never seen in my life. I’m not going to say it affected my performance, but there was a lot going on. I’ve got this experience under my belt now; moving forward, it will be easier. I’ll know how to relax more and know how to deal with the media more.”
Stanionis Is Now A Free Agent
Stanionis’ career had been managed by Shelly Finkel while fighting on PBC events until the expiration of his contract following his win over Maestre.
“I haven’t got a promoter now. I’m a free agent,” Stanionis explained. “I was fighting for a bit of freedom in my last fight. I just wanted to be free. I don’t have a manager as well. I think I’m going to manage myself now. I’ve got some experience after all these years, and I’ve got a good group of people who will help me move forward. I’m going to give it a shot, and we will see where I land. The contracts basically ended after the fight. My manager did a good job getting to 15-0, but that’s that, and we move forward. I wish him all the best. At the moment, we are speaking with various promotions, but we will see. I’ll keep you informed. The news will be soon.”
Pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford adds a blemish to Stanionis’ achievement. Crawford is the current super champion with the governing body, and Stanionis holds the secondary world title. However, Crawford starts his 154-pound campaign against Israil Madrimov on August 3, so Stanionis could be named the sole WBA champion later this year.
“I think he’s already left the division,” Stanionis continued. “I know the WBA doesn’t necessarily elevate you, like the WBC did with Mario Barrios. We will have to wait and see, but I don’t need to be elevated because I already think I am the world champion. Crawford is moving to 154, and [Errol] Spence is also moving to 154, but there should be some good unifications for me. Mario Barrios would be great! It would be top of the list at this moment.
“147 pounds is heating up again. Maybe [Devin] Haney will move up, maybe [Isaac] “Pittbull” Cruz will move up…I don’t know, maybe Teofimo [Lopez] also. There is also [Jaron] Ennis. He’s talented, everyone is saying he’s the best right now. We all have two legs and two arms. He’s very good, but I’m the man, and I want to fight him. I want to prove anything is possible, even if I’m the big underdog.”
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