Radzhab Butaev and Eimantas Stanionis could not ask for a better stage to fight for the right to challenge the welterweight throne.

The agreed-upon WBA “World” welterweight title fight between Russia’s Butaev and Lithuania’s Stanionis is confirmed to land on the April 16 Showtime Pay-Per-View event headlined by the three-belt unification bout between IBF/WBC champ Errol Spence (27-0, 21KOs) and WBA “Super” titleholder Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12KOs). Butaev-Stanionis is one of four fights to appear on the PPV telecast, though with direct ties to the main event with a guaranteed shot at the Spence-Ugas winner at stake.

News of the bout’s already rumored placement on the show was confirmed by both boxers as well as the WBA, whose secondary title is stake in the scheduled 12-round affair.  

“April 16th, [I’m] back in the ring,” Stanionis confirmed through social media. “I will be fighting Radzhab Butaev for the WBA regular world championship belt on #SpenceUgas card.”

Stanionis (13-0, 9KOs; 1ND)—who hasn’t fought since a No-Decision with former titlist Luis Collazo last August 7—agreed to step down as the mandatory challenger for Ugas’ WBA “Super” title, allowing for Spence-Ugas to proceed as planned months ago. The reward for the unbeaten welterweight—who represented Lithuania in the 2016 Rio Olympics—was a shot at the secondary title with the promise of fighting for three major titles with a win over Butaev.

The development followed months of previously standing his ground on what was a guaranteed title fight with Ugas part of a four-man welterweight box-off as ordered by the WBA. The other leg of the unofficial tournament saw Butaev (14-0, 11KOs; 1NC) claim the secondary belt in a ninth-round stoppage of Jamal James last October 30 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

Butaev achieved title status on his second try with the win, coming nearly two years after dropping a contested decision to countryman Alexander Besputin (15-0, 11KOs; 1NC) in November 2019. The official verdict was changed to a No-Contest after a banned substance was discovered in Besputin’s system through random drug testing.

Butaev has fought just twice since then, while remaining a staunch advocate for stringent drug testing. That will include his upcoming fight with Stanionis.

“Always #cleansport,” Buatev tweeted, with a photo confirming his enrollment in Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) random drug testing for the first defense of his title.

The pandemic slowed down Butaev’s chances of challenging for the vacant title, having fought on a December 2020 card presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC)—who represents Spence, Ugas and James—while waiting out his title opportunity. James (27-2, 12KOs) fought for and won the WBA “interim” title in August 2020 and was upgraded to WBA “World” titlist after Ugas was elevated to the sanctioning body’s “Super” champion.

Ugas went on to face and beat the belt’s prior claimant, legendary former eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao whom the Miami-based Cuban outpointed over twelve-rounds last August 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ugas landed the fight in place of Spence after a medical exam revealed the unbeaten Texan to have a torn retina less than two weeks out from the event.

Following Ugas’ win, efforts were made to proceed with a three-belt unification bout versus Spence. Unfortunately, the request was officially filed one day after the WBA already ordered its four-man box-off. The matter went back and forth with weeks, with Stanionis and his team—manager Shelly Finkel and promoter Richard Schaefer—refusing at the time to step down as mandatory challenger.

A purse bid was ordered after the WBA rejected a Special Permit request by Ugas to bypass his mandatory. The December 9 purse bid hearing was canceled after the sanctioning body confirmed that Ugas and Stanionis reached an agreement; it was learned less than two weeks later that the pact called for Stanionis to allow Spence-Ugas to move forward.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox