Although both Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have done their best to clear out the logjam near the top of the welterweight division, fighters such as Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Eimantas Stanionis have grown restless.

So, while winning a world title is of the utmost importance, Ortiz and Stanionis have decided that facing each other, as opposed to Spence or Crawford, is the most logical idea. Just a few short months ago, Stanionis, who holds the WBA “Regular” title, was informed that he must defend his secondary trinket against the hard-hitting star. Whoever emerges victoriously, supposedly, could find themselves perfectly in line to face Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) for his unified crown.

Of course, the 32-year-old champion from Desoto, Texas, will attempt to shake off the cobwebs following yet another horrific car wreck. While the powerful southpaw looks for a replacement foe after failing to secure a bout with Crawford, he plans on keeping a watchful eye on the outcome of Stanionis vs. Ortiz.  

Stanionis, 28, burst onto the national scene following his close but clear split decision victory over Radzhab Butaev earlier this year. Ortiz, with a string of knockout victories to his name, has established himself as a bonafide contender.

Anxious to prove himself on the championship stage, the pernicious puncher from Dallas, Texas, has stopped every opponent he’s come across in his relatively short career. Although his 2022 schedule was rather bleak, the 24-year-old made the best of it, blasting Michael McKinson in the ninth round.

With Ortiz fighting under the promotional banner of Golden Boy Promotions and Stanionis being a proud member of Premier Boxing Champions, Golden Boy presented the winning figure during their purse bid recently, with a price point of $2.3 million.

Oscar De La Hoya, Ortiz's promoter, stated that a date and venue will soon be revealed. As the rest of the boxing world awaits further details, Spence, when asked during an interview on ESNEWS, was unable to pinpoint who he believes has the edge.

“That's a 50/50 fight. That’s a good fight.”