Maurice Hooker will enter this fight near his hometown in a decidedly different position than the last time he boxed near Dallas.
He entered his last bout in the Dallas area as an undefeated world champion attempting to add another title to his resume. A year-and-a-half after losing that bout by sixth-round technical knockout to Jose Ramirez, Hooker seeks to redeem himself against another undefeated fighter.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is undeniably the “A” side against Hooker in their 12-round welterweight match March 20 in Fort Worth, Texas. The 22-year-old knockout artist is widely viewed as a potential superstar who will become an elite-level fighter in the foreseeable future.
The 31-year-old Hooker hopes to pull off an upset that would put him on track for a welterweight title shot of his own.
“I just [need to] prove I can still be a world champion at 147, I still have it, you know?,” Hooker said during a virtual press conference recently. “We both from Dallas, Texas, we both fought in the amateurs, and you know, both did good things in the amateurs for Dallas. I know it’s a dream come true to fight another guy from Dallas, Texas. On a fight like this, you know, we give kids hopes and dreams to be like us one day.”
Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) is a Dallas native who resides in nearby Forney, Texas. Ortiz (16-0, 16 KOs) was born in Dallas and is a resident of Grand Prairie, Texas.
DAZN will stream their 12-round fight from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
Hooker has boxed less than one round since Ramirez stopped him in their 140-pound title unification fight in July 2019 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
His confidence has been boosted, though, by his new training team, headed by Brian McIntyre, who also works with unbeaten WBO welterweight champ Terence Crawford.
They began working together following Hooker’s loss to Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs). Hooker’s first fight with his new team in his corner resulted in a first-round technical knockout of Mexico’s Uriel Perez (19-5, 18 KOs) in December 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.
“I mean, working with them is like being with family,” Hooker said. “You know, we all look out for each other, so I feel very comfortable with them being in my corner. And with the game plan they got, I love it. So, I mean, this fight right here taught me to go in there and show them the new Maurice Hooker. You know, when I fought Jose it wasn’t my night. And this night, you know, it’s gonna be a good one.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.