Stanionis: Dulorme Fight Is Going To Be In Middle Of Ring; We Are Going To Bang

Eimantas Stanionis wants to display the boxing ability that he feels he hasn’t shown fans in any of his 12 professional fights.

The Lithuanian welterweight prospect doubts, though, that his 12-round fight against Thomas Dulorme will present an extended opportunity to demonstrate those skills. Stanionis (12-0, 9 KOs) doesn’t expect to have difficulty finding Dulorme on Saturday night, and he’ll happily oblige the Puerto Rican veteran in their WBA elimination match at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

“The fight is going to be in the middle of the ring, and we are going to bang because that’s our styles,” Stanionis told BoxingScene.com. “Our styles match up. We’ll be in the middle of the ring. We’ll see. Of course, no one has seen me boxing. I can do whatever I want. I know how to box, but I like to entertain people.”

Showtime will televise Stanionis-Dulorme as the 12-round co-feature before its main event, another 12-round welterweight battle between Philadelphia’s Jaron Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs, 1 NC) and Kazakhstan’s Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KOs).

Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KOs) is the most accomplished opponent for Stanionis since the developing prospect turned pro after representing Lithuania at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Puerto Rico’s Dulorme lost his last fight to Jamal James (27-1, 12 KOs), who defeated Dulorme by unanimous decision to win the then-vacant WBA interim welterweight title August 8 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old Dulorme’s previous two losses came against WBA welterweight champ Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) and unbeaten three-division champ Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs).

“He has that experience,” Stanionis said. “They’re thinking maybe the young kid is coming to prove himself, and we’ll see.”

The 26-year-old Stanionis sought a higher level of opposition that he is thankful Dulorme can provide. Stanionis, who is trained by Freddie Roach, has recorded back-to-back, ninth-round knockouts of Justin DeLoach (19-5, 10 KOs) and Janer Gonzalez (19-4-1, 15 KOs) since November 4.

“I’m very happy and very thankful,” Stanionis said. “It’s amazing, this fight. With COVID and everything, it’s no more easy fights for anybody. Everybody has to take risks and step up, and fight better opposition. I want a tough fight, he wants a tough fight, and we have to prove something.”

Stanionis anticipates a dogfight from Dulorme, who withdrew a few weeks before his December 19 fight against Ennis due to COVID-19.

“He’s a good fighter,” Stanionis said. “He’s fast. He has a very good left hook to the body. You know, a wild right hand, but he has knocked some guys out. He’s a strong guy. I like his style. I think this fight is a very good matchup for TV and the people. The people will win.”

The opener of Showtime’s tripleheader, scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT, will feature Jerwin Ancajas. The Philippines’ Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs), the IBF junior bantamweight champion, will meet Mexico’s Jonathan Rodriguez (22-1, 16 KOs), Ancajas’ mandatory challenger, in a 12-round, 115-pound championship match.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.