Blair ‘The Flair’ Cobbs is ready to save the show.
The unbeaten and outspoken welterweight has offered his services to fill the void left in Saturday’s DAZN main event, in the wake of Vergil Ortiz Jr. having to withdraw from his scheduled bout with England’s Michael McKinson. Ortiz (18-0, 18KOs) was hospitalized and diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability according to a study by the CDC.
The fallout left McKinson (21-0, 2KOs) without an opponent for this weekend. Cobbs (15-0-1, 10KOs) declared himself fit to take on the assignment, having already completed his training camp for a ten-round bout with locally-based Alexis Rocha (18-1, 12KOs) in the evening’s co-feature. With the scramble to find a new opponent for McKinson to remain on the show—if not the entire card itself—Cobbs is willing to step up on short notice.
“Michael McKinson, it is time, baby. Never fear, Blair ‘The Flair’ is here. WOO,” Cobbs stated in a video posted on his social media channel. “Come and get this work!
“You tryna get it, come and get this work because I’m gonna f--- you up. Let’s go! WOO!”
The staff at Golden Boy Promotions—who confirmed Ortiz’s illness and hospitalization Tuesday afternoon—continues to scramble in efforts to keep alive Saturday’s card, which is due to air live on DAZN from USC Galen Center in Los Angeles. There have been talks of elevating Cobbs-Rocha to the main event, along with the continued search for a late replacement to face McKinson whether in the main event or downgraded to an undercard bout.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox