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By: Sean Crose
Tonight’s PBC card on FS1 might not look particularly extraordinary on the surface of things, but anyone who saw last week’s Michael Coffie-Jonathan Rice showdown knows that you don’t need stars to present a great evening of boxing. And so, Lithuania’s 13-0 welterweight Eimantas Stanionis will be squaring off against popular 39-8 vet Luis Collazo. Some of us still remember a few years back when a Collazo body shot came close to derailing Keith Thurman’s then burgeoning career. Now 40, Collazo aims to upset the apple cart by handing Stanionis his first loss.
That won’t be easy. Stanionis, at 26 years of age, is being groomed for bigger things. Collazo, then, is being viewed as a growth opponent, one who can help Stanionis develop his skill set while not presenting too much of a challenge. Collazo, however, is a no give guy. If he’s to win, Stanionis will have to earn it. The last time he was in the ring, Stanionis defeated Thomas Dulorme, another well known vet, by unanimous decision. Collazo himself was last seen in action back in 2019, when a cut cost him his fight against Kudratillo Abdukakhorov. Stanionis-Collazo is scheduled for 10.
The 3-0 welterweight Gabriel Maestre will also be on the card, battling the 22-2 Mykal Fox for one of the WBA’s numerous belts. The last time Maestre was in the ring, he wiped out Daniel Vega Cota in the very first round. Fox himself last saw action almost exactly a year ago when he lost to Lucas Santamaria via unanimous decision. Why Maestre is fighting for a belt in his fourth fight is perhaps anyone’s guess. He’s stopped all of his opponent’s so far, however, so the lighter fisted Fox is going to want to be cautious.
Lastly, Santamaria himself will appear on the card. The 11-2-1 welterweight will square off against former world champion Devon Alexander. Although his prime appears to be behind him, it’s worth noting the 34 year old, 27-6-1 Alexander has usually only lost to high level competition, like Shawn Porter, Amir Khan, and Andre Berto. His showdown with Santamaria is scheduled for 10.
The Eimantas Stanionis Vs. Luis Collazo card will be broadcast live on Fox starting at 8PM eastern time this evening.
