By: Sean Crose
Undefeated welterweight Eimantas Stanionis was featured in the main event of Wednesday’s Fox Sports 1 PBC card, which was broadcast live from LA’s Shrine Exhibition Center. The 11-0 Lithuanian faced the 19-3-1 Janer Gonzalez in a scheduled ten round affair.
Stanionis pushed the action in the first. Gonzalez threw at Stanionis in the second, but he didn’t seem to have much sting to his punches. Stanionis, on the other hand, continued to press the action while striking to the body. Gonzalez went down from a body shot in the final minute of the round. He got up at the count of nine and managed to gamely survive the chapter.
Stanionis resumed stalking his man at the beginning of the third. Gonzalez continued to fight on, but Stanionis landed the more effective shots. In the fourth it was clear that, had Gonzalez more power, the fight might look far differently than it did. As things stood, Stanionis was able to continue working his opponent’s body effectively.
Both fighters ground their way though the fifth, with Gonzalez clearly having his best round. Gonzalez did good work in the early part of the sixth, but Stanionis was able to get in on the Columbian fighter, thanks to a quality jab. The seventh played out the continued pattern of the fight up until that point.
Stanionis pressed forward behind the jab in the eighth. A thunderous uppercut sent Gonzalez down for the second time close to round’s end. Once again – the rugged Gonzalez got back to his feet and survived the round. Although he looked like he didn’t want to come out for the ninth, Gonzalez went straight to swinging on his man. An overhead right, however, put Gonzalez down and out – the referee wisely waving off the bout without bothering to count.