The WBA announced that last month’s mandatory order for Eimantas Stanionis to defend his secondary title against Vergil Ortiz Jr will go to purse bid on Monday, December 12th.
The purse bid order also declares that the winner of Stanionis-Ortiz will face the winner between Errol Spence Jr and Keith Thurman next, unifying the “world” belt currently held by Stanionis with the “super” belt currently held by Spence. Many were skeptical how serious the WBA really was about the belt consolidation plan announced last year, but this marks yet another positive step towards the goal of controlling world title inflation.
As the champion, Stanionis (14-0, 9 KO) will receive 75% of the winning bid, with the remaining 25% going to Ortiz (19-0, 19 KO). Stanionis is part of the PBC stable, while Ortiz is promoted by Golden Boy, both of which are likely to pursue the rights aggressively. Assuming the two sides can’t work out a deal before Monday, the auction price will likely come in well above the minimum bid of $200,000.
Stanionis took the WBA “world” belt from Radzhab Butaev back in April, and the ordered fight with Ortiz would be his first defense. It’s a mouthwatering matchup, and a potentially explosive addition to boxing’s early 2023 calendar.