Tag: Stanionis vs Collazo

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for U.S., rogue judge

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.

Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.

The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.

We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.

Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.

At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.

The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.

***

BAD

I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.

That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.

Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.

A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.

Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.

The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.

I can’t wait to see how he develops.

***

WORSE

The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.

Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.

The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.

According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”

Only in boxing.

After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.

And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.

[lawrence-related id=22341,22337,22333,22322,22316,22301,22256]

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for U.S., rogue judge

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.

Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.

The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.

We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.

Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.

At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.

The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.

***

BAD

I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.

That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.

Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.

A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.

Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.

The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.

I can’t wait to see how he develops.

***

WORSE

The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.

Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.

The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.

According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”

Only in boxing.

After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.

And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.

[lawrence-related id=22341,22337,22333,22322,22316,22301,22256]

Eimantas Stanionis pounds Luis Collazo but has to settle for ‘no decision’

Eimantas Stanionis pounded Luis Collazo for three-plus rounds but had to settle for ‘no decision’ after a clash of heads ended their fight.

Luis Collazo might’ve been fortunate that his fight ended early because of an accidental clash of heads.

Eimantas Stanionis, the young welterweight contender from Lithuania, had landed dozens of damaging punches when the collision of heads in Round 4 rendered the 40-year-old New Yorker unable to continue Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis.

The scheduled 10-round fight was ruled a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds, which is required to go to the cards.

Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) received resistance from Collazo, who didn’t fight like a quadragenarian who hadn’t been in the ring for almost two years. He was active, durable and determined to give his all.

The problem for him was that he couldn’t avoid Stanionis’ heavy blows, which busted up Collazo’s face even before the clash of heads. He demonstrated a good chin but it seemed only a matter of time before the younger man would wear down Collazo and win by stoppage.

Their heads collided with about 30 seconds remaining in the Round 4, causing a cut in Collazo’s right eyelid and forcing him to the canvas. He was able to get up but was badly hurt, which prompted referee Charlie Fitch to stop the action and give him time to recover.

However, it became clear after several minutes that Collazo, resting with his arms on the ropes, was finished.

“If you can’t stand up, I have to stop the fight,” Fitch said to Collazo. The fighter responded, “Do that.” And that was that.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:31 of Round 4.

Of course, the result will have been disappointing for Stanionis, who wanted to make a statement and continue his ascent in the welterweight division. Make no mistake, though: He looked sharp, landing his hard shots with regularity and accuracy against a crafty opponent.

He didn’t exit the ring with a victory but he probably enhanced his reputation, which a step forward. He’s not far from a title shot.

Collazo? The Brooklyn native, who has fought professional for more than 20 years, said beforehand that the fight might be his last. It’s difficult to imagine him coming back after taking so much punishment, including the fight-ending clash of heads.

Stanionis, 26, is just getting started. We probably have seen the last of Collazo.

Eimantas Stanionis pounds Luis Collazo but has to settle for ‘no decision’

Eimantas Stanionis pounded Luis Collazo for three-plus rounds but had to settle for ‘no decision’ after a clash of heads ended their fight.

Luis Collazo might’ve been fortunate that his fight ended early because of an accidental clash of heads.

Eimantas Stanionis, the young welterweight contender from Lithuania, had landed dozens of damaging punches when the collision of heads in Round 4 rendered the 40-year-old New Yorker unable to continue Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis.

The scheduled 10-round fight was ruled a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds, which is required to go to the cards.

Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) received resistance from Collazo, who didn’t fight like a quadragenarian who hadn’t been in the ring for almost two years. He was active, durable and determined to give his all.

The problem for him was that he couldn’t avoid Stanionis’ heavy blows, which busted up Collazo’s face even before the clash of heads. He demonstrated a good chin but it seemed only a matter of time before the younger man would wear down Collazo and win by stoppage.

Their heads collided with about 30 seconds remaining in the Round 4, causing a cut in Collazo’s right eyelid and forcing him to the canvas. He was able to get up but was badly hurt, which prompted referee Charlie Fitch to stop the action and give him time to recover.

However, it became clear after several minutes that Collazo, resting with his arms on the ropes, was finished.

“If you can’t stand up, I have to stop the fight,” Fitch said to Collazo. The fighter responded, “Do that.” And that was that.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:31 of Round 4.

Of course, the result will have been disappointing for Stanionis, who wanted to make a statement and continue his ascent in the welterweight division. Make no mistake, though: He looked sharp, landing his hard shots with regularity and accuracy against a crafty opponent.

He didn’t exit the ring with a victory but he probably enhanced his reputation, which a step forward. He’s not far from a title shot.

Collazo? The Brooklyn native, who has fought professional for more than 20 years, said beforehand that the fight might be his last. It’s difficult to imagine him coming back after taking so much punishment, including the fight-ending clash of heads.

Stanionis, 26, is just getting started. We probably have seen the last of Collazo.

Eimantas Stanionis continues march toward title shot against Luis Collazo

Eimantas Stanionis continues his march toward a welterweight title shot against Luis Collazo on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Eimantas Stanionis hopes to be a first.

No fighter from Lithuania, Stanionis’ home country, has ever won a major championship in boxing. And the 2016 Olympian from the town of Kaunas is closing in on a chance to capture a belt.

Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) faces 40-year-old Luis Collazo on Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis on Fox.

“I just have to win and keep winning,” said Stanionis, who is based in Oxnard, Calif. “I want to get to the world title shot. Lithuania has never had a pro world champion and I want to make history. I have great competition on Saturday, and I want to show that I can compete with any of the top guys.

“I think I deserve the title shot if I win on Saturday. I’m ranked high (No. 1) by the WBA and I’m going to be in position to fight the best sooner rather than later.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJf-sbIbDNo

The 26-year-old is coming off his most significant victory, a wide decision over Thomas Dulorme in April.

Stanionis got off to a slow start against his fit, inspired opponent but he kept the pressure on the Puerto Rican veteran to take control of the title eliminator and win convincingly. Still, he wasn’t satisfied.

He said he’ll be sharper on Saturday night.

“I got confidence from my last fight knowing that I can go 12 hard rounds,” he said. “I got tested in that fight against Thomas Dulorme, but I think it was my worst night. I was not at my best. This time I’m 100 percent prepared and ready to go.”

Collazo (39-8, 20 KOs) was at his best more than a decade ago and is coming off a one-sided technical decision loss to Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in October 2019, which was the New Yorker’s most recent fight.

However, he had a nice run in his previous three fights, beating Sammy Vasquez, Bryant Perrella and Samuel Vargas over a two-year period.

He isn’t the fighter who gave a prime Ricky Hatton problems in a losing cause in 2006 but he can still fight a little.

“This is going to be my last fight on Saturday night,” Collazo said. “The sport is overwhelming in many ways and sometimes it’s hard to enjoy it. Even saying that, I’m bringing everything I’ve got on Saturday. I’m going to leave my mark once again.

“Right now the only thing he has on me is age. Age doesn’t matter though, when you fight and stay in the gym like I do. That’s what I do for a living. I’ve been consistent and there’s no excuses coming into this fight.”

Stanionis is taking nothing for granted.

“Collazo has faced the top guys and he likes to fight fire with fire like I do,” he said. “I am prepared for an action-packed fight.”

[lawrence-related id=22222]