Vergil Ortiz Stops Jesus Valdez in Five Rounds

By Jake Donovan

Vergil Ortiz was extended deeper than he’d been as a pro to date, but still maintained his perfect knockout-to-win ratio in battering Mexico’s Jesus Valdez over five rounds.

A cut opened on the left eyelid of Valdez in round four, with the ringside doctor electing to stop the contest prior to the start of round six. The official time was 3:00 of round five in their DAZN-streamed super lightweight bout live from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Dallas’ Ortiz (12-0, 12KOs) controlled the action from the outset, using the first couple of rounds to simply get a sense of his opponent’s durability. The bout was his first since a 2nd round knockout last September, having endured two straight training camps for this fight.

A planned appearance on Canelo Alvarez’s undercard last December in New York City fell by the wayside when Ortiz was denied a license by the New York State Athletic Commission due to having received Lasik eye surgery just two months prior. Returning right back to the gym for his fight with Valdez perhaps resulted in a bit of overtraining.

“I felt like I could’ve done better,” Ortiz 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.”

Valdez had only been stopped once in his pro career, that coming in a 2016 featherweight bout with Jesus M. Rojas who defends his title later this evening. He took the best that Ortiz had to offer, becoming the first to extend the 20-year old prospect past round three.

The feat came at a heavy cost. Ortiz landed a long right hand which rocked Valdez at the end of round three, but not quite enough to put him away. The same weapon produced a horrifically placed cut atop Valdez’s left eyelid in round four, which permanently changed the course of an otherwise spirited contest.

Ortiz dished out a savage beating in round five, to the point of staring down referee James Green to stop the contest and spare his opponent additional punishment. The third man split the baby, twice calling time to have Valdez’s cut examined by the ringside physician.

Valdez (23-5-1, 12KOs) made it out of the fifth round, but was not permitted to come off his corner stool. The doctor gave the valiant journeyman one more hard look, this time informing the referee to stop the contest.

“I got to give credit to (Valdez). He has tremendous heart… and a lot of balls. As a fighter, I really respect him,” Ortiz said afterward.

Finally able to get back in the ring after a career-long four months away, there exists a burning desire to take his career to the next level.

“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”