Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz withdrew again from his fight on July 8 in San Antonio against WBA regular champion Eimantas Stanionis, his promoter Golden Boy Promotions, announced on Thursday.
Austin, Texas native Floyd Schofield(14-0, 11 KOs) will now headline the show against Haskell Lydell Rhodes (28-4-1, 13KOs), but according to Golden Boy, more information on the July 8 event will be announced shortly.
According to Dan Rafael, Ortiz (19-0, 19KOs) collapsed in his gym Wednesday. When Ortiz passed out, he had to be given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by his father/trainer Vergil Ortiz Sr. before being rushed to a local hospital.
The two were scheduled to fight in March, but Stanionis(14-0, 9 KOs) was forced to withdraw after an emergency appendectomy. They were scheduled to fight in April, but Ortiz was forced to withdraw due to rhabdomyolysis.
At this point, Stanionis, who last fought in April 2022 when he defeated Radzhab Butaev, should probably move on, and Ortiz should probably move up in weight.
Ortiz, who was diagnosed in March 2022 with rhabdomyolysis, is clearly struggling to make 147 pounds, and it’s significantly impacting his health.
Here’s a statement from Golden Boy Promotions on Ortiz withdrawing from fight with Stanionis:
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our fighters, and we, of course, support Vergil’s decision 100 percent. This unfortunate event does, however, open the door for one of Golden Boy’s top prospects, Floyd Schofield, to accelerate his profile by headlining in his home state of Texas. We will, as always, put on a high-action card from top to bottom on July 8 and look forward to showcasing all of our fighters both in San Antonio and on DAZN.”
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