Lithuanian WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis and Uzbek contender Shakhram Giyasov will be heading towards a purse bid ceremony that has been set for Friday, November 8, after the two fighters failed to reach an agreement during the mandated negotiation period. The mandate for the two welterweights to face each other was initiated in September.
Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KO’s) is currently the WBA welterweight (147 lbs) champion and set for his first actual title defense since being elevated from WBA “regular” champion to world champion. Shakhram Giyasov (16-0, 9 KO’s) was designated the WBA mandatory challenger at 147 lbs during the WBA’s mandate.
Giyasov, 31, is an Olympic silver medalist currently represented by Matchroom. The Uzbek contender attained the opportunity to become a mandatory challenger after defeating Mexican fighter Pablo Cesar Cano (35-9-1, 25 KO’s) in a final eliminator1 earlier this year in February.
30-year old Stanionis has thus far only defended the WBA “regular” version of his belt on two occassions and somehow managed to retain his title and even find himself elevated after a stint of inactivity between 2022 and 2024. Then aligned with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), Stanionis is currently a free agent after his contract with PBC expired.
Unclear is who serves as Stanionis’ representative during these negotiations and upcoming purse bid, making it likely that the upcoming bidding ceremony will see Giyasov’s promoter, Matchroom, win the rights to stage the title bout on November 8.
A match between the two welterweights would be a prevalent bout in the division due to the ability of both fighters which would make for an undoubtedly competitive bout. Adding to this high-stakes fight is the fact that both fighters are undefeated and have around the same amount of fights as well as identical number of knockouts―setting the stage for what will likely be a highly-combatative 50/50 bout that may define the winner as the biggest threat at 147 lbs.
- A final eliminator in boxing is a high-stakes bout between two fighters, with the winner earning the right to challenge the current champion for a world title―often culminating in them becoming a “mandatory challenger”. It’s often organized by a sanctioning body (like the WBA, WBC, WBO or IBF) between the two highest-ranked contenders. ↩︎
