ARLINGTON, Texas – Eimantas Stanionis got his revenge against Radzhab Butaev on a much bigger stage Saturday night.

The unbeaten Lithuanian became his country’s first recognized boxing champion when he beat Butaev by split decision in their 12-round, 147-pound championship match on the Errol Spence Jr.-Yordenis Ugas undercard at AT&T Stadium. Judges Robert Hoyle (117-110) and Jose Roberto Torres (116-111) scored Stanionis the winner over Butaev, who won 114-113 on the scorecard of judge Javier Alvarez.

Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) won the WBA world welterweight title from Butaev (14-1, 11 KOs, 1 NC), who defeated Stanionis twice when they were amateurs. Russia’s Butaev made the first defense of that secondary championship, which he won when he stopped Jamal James in the ninth round October 30 in Las Vegas.  

Stanionis blasted Butaev with three power punches – two rights and a left hook – that drew the crowd’s attention with just over and under one minute to go in the 12th round. Butaev and Stanionis tumbled to the canvas together just before the final bell sounded.

Butaev blasted Stanionis with a right hand to the side of the head and a body shot that made Stanionis hold him with just over a minute on the clock in the 11th round. Referee Rafael Ramos deducted a point from Butaev less than 20 seconds later for holding Stanionis’ head down and hitting him.

Stanionis got Butaev’s attention with a right hand that landed with just over a minute to go in the 10th round. By then, it was clear that Staninois was well on his way to dethroning Butaev.

For the first time since the fifth round, Butaev landed the harder, more effective punches on Stanionis during the ninth round.

Stanionis landed multiple right hands with just over one minute to go in the eighth round, which made Butaev paw at his left eye. Stanionis continued to land the flusher punches with regularity during the seventh round.

Butaev landed two left hands in the first 20 seconds of the sixth round. That only made Stanionis let his hands go in combination.

Stanionis landed back-to-back right hands barely a minute into the sixth round, which got Butaev’s attention.

Butaev and Stanionis traded left hooks about 35 seconds into the fifth round. Stanionis landed a left uppercut and followed up with a left hook to the body just after the midway mark of the fifth round.

Stanionis landed a right hand early in the middle minute of the third round. Butaev responded with a left hook to the body, but Stanionis fired back in combination.

Butaev began fighting from a southpaw stance in the third round to try to throw off Stanionis’ rhythm.

Stanionis landed a right hand to the side of Butaev’s head with just under a minute to go in the second round, which Stanionis controlled.

Stanionis landed a left hook to Butaev’s body about 1:10 into the first round. Stanionis’ right uppercut connected with about 45 seconds to go in the opening round as well.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.