Eimantas Stanionis gave another ominous warning to the elite welterweights on Friday in Los Angeles.
The 2016 Olympian from Lithuania put Janer Gonzalez down three times before finally stopping him in the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round 147-pound bout at the Shrine Exposition Hall.
Stanionis (12-0, 9 KOs) used his heavy, relentless jab to set up brutal power shots and break down his Colombian opponent, who was game but couldn’t withstand the incessant punishment.
Stanionis used the first round to assess Gonzalez (19-4-1, 15 KOs) and then got to work in earnest, particularly in terms of his body attack.
Gonzalez took a left hook to the gut that forced him to take a knee in Round 2, which set the tone for the beat down. From there, Stanionis was machine-like, jabbing and following with hard power shots to every legal target.
Gonzalez never stopped trying but he was gradually worn down as the fight progressed. In Round 8, with Gonzalez struggling, Stanionis landed two rights and then a right uppercut that again forced Gonzalez to take a knee.
After the round, as he prepared to come out of his corner, he had a look in his eye that said, “I’m finished.”
And then Stanionis turned that into reality, landing an overhand right that once more put Gonzalez on one knee. This time referee Jerry Cantu decided enough was enough and waved off the fight, saving Gonzalez from further punishment.
The official time was 45 seconds into Round 9.
Stanionis has yet to be ranked by any of the major sanctioning bodies but seems to be well on his way.