Vergil Ortiz Envisions World Titles, Whataburger In Near Future

By Jake Donovan

Homecoming, Whataburger, then a world a title.

If you ask Vergil Ortiz Jr. of his vision for 2019, his summary can fit into that one line.

The 20-year old unbeaten knockout artist can check off the first box, as his first fight of 2019 will take place in his home state of Texas. A scheduled 10-round clash versus Mexico’s Jesus Valdez is set to take place Saturday evening in Houston, roughly three hours from his Dallas hometown.

The bout—which streams live on DAZN on a show topped by Jaime Munguia in a 154-pound title defense versus Japan’s Takeshi Inoue—marks Ortiz’s first fight in his home state since June ’17, and just his third appearance overall in the Lone Star state.

Ortiz’s previous two home games didn’t last very long, knocking out Ernesto Hernandez in just 0:40 in his second pro fight and then needing barely 2:00 to dust off Ricardo Fernandez in June ’17. Knockouts are easy to come by for the 20-year old rising prospect.

His favorite cheat food, however, isn’t quite as attainable these days.

“Every time I’m home, all I can think about is that I really want Whataburger,” Ortiz (11-0, 11KOs) jokes of the popular fast-food franchise which was founded in Texas. “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought in Texas and I’m really looking forward getting a Whataburger after all this.”

Training out of Robert Garcia’s camp in Oxnard, California, Ortiz instead has to settle for In-N-Out burgers on his cheat days, which of course leaves the native Texan at odds with his West Coast supporters.

“There are a lot of haters out there, they claim (In-N-Out) is better than Whataburger; they just don’t know any better.”

If his past fights in Texas are any indication, Ortiz won’t have to wait very long after the opening bell to reacquaint his taste buds. It would be quite a statement, though, if he can tear through his normally durable opponent.

Valdez (23-4-1, 12KOs) won’t ever be confused for a world beater but does come equipped with a sturdy chin and keen survival instincts. The 26-year old from Mexico has been stopped just once in 28 pro starts—his lone conqueror being Puerto Rico’s Jesus Rojas, who defends a featherweight title versus China’s Xu Can in Saturday’s co-feature.

Of course, a dominant showing on Saturday by Ortiz wouldn’t surprise anyone among his current team.

“I have to say (Ortiz) is the top prospect, or at least one of the top prospects we have here at Golden Boy Promotions,” insists Oscar de la Hoya, Ortiz’s promoter. “He will most likely fight for a world title (soon) if he continues on his path.

“We will be looking to keep him on this path, putting him in tough and hopefully get him to that world title by the end of the year.”

Ortiz already has the perfect opponent in mind for when that day arrives.

“They were mentioning Maurice Hooker’s name, man I’d love that fight,” Ortiz said of his fellow Dallas native, who currently serves as an unbeaten 140-pound titlist. “He’s from Dallas, I’m from Dallas. That fight would be huge.”

Getting there—while a vision well in sight by his own belief—will require more work as his 2019 campaign is just getting underway. Still only 30 months into his pro career, next steps with a win tonight will likely be a gradual nudge towards the contender stage before being floated as a viable title challenger.

Of course, that’s nothing you can tell any ambitious 20-year old who firmly believes he can conquer the world.

“I’m really to get this world title at 140,” Ortiz insists. “I’m confident that there’s nobody at the weight who can beat me. I can’t wait to get this world title.”

And no doubt hit up Whataburger for the after party.