Vergil Ortiz: I'd Love The Maurice Hooker Title Fight

By Jake Donovan

Vergil Ortiz insisted throughout fight week that he was fully prepared to fast track his career from prospect to the title stage by year’s end.

The 20-year old super lightweight knockout artist from Dallas doubled down on that claim after his most recent win— a 5th round stoppage of Jesus Valdez, which by his own admission was probably the least impressive of his young career.

“I felt like I could’ve done better,” Ortiz (12-0, 12KOs) said of his performance in a post-fight interview with DAZN’s Chris Mannix. “It didn’t go—or end—how I wanted it to go.”

It went deeper than any other pro fight to date for Ortiz, who’d previously never been extended past round three. In hindsight, going rounds in Saturday’s DAZN-streamed bout at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas served him well, after having been forced off of a December show in New York City due to a medical discrepancy.

Back-to-back training camps seemed to have taken a bit out of Ortiz early on, before settling down and forcing a cut and battered Valdez to retire on his school after five rounds. With his first fight of 2019 and DAZN debut now out of the way, it’s onto new business for the rising prospect, who longs to shed that label as soon as by his next ring appearance.

“Honestly, I’m ready for a world title fight in my next fight,” Ortiz insisted. Grand Prairie’s first world champion. Let’s make it happen.”

The demand certainly piqued the interest of the Golden Boy Promotions team, who remains high on the company’s most promising young star. So much, that there’s no thought whatsoever of reeling in Ortiz’s ambitious plans.

“He looked good, he’s always in great shape,” Oscar de la Hoya, Ortiz’s promoter said afterward. “I think with Vergil Ortiz, I would love to put together another card here in Houston with Vergil Ortiz as the headliner as a world champion.”

Currently, Ortiz is ranked at super lightweight by just one sanctioning body—the World Boxing Organization (WBO), who recognizes unbeaten Maurice Hooker as its champion. His alphabet standing will likely change in the near future, although the thought of his first title fight coming versus his fellow Dallas native seems high on his priority list.

“They were mentioning Maurice Hooker’s name, man I’d love that fight,” Ortiz said of such a fight. “He’s from Dallas, I’m from Dallas. That fight would be huge.”