Serving as the first headliner for Golden Boy Promotions since the pandemic was an honor for Vergil Ortiz Jr., even if it’s the only time he prefers to fight under such circumstances.
The unbeaten welterweight contender finds himself in a unique situation, having fought in a main event behind closed doors and now heading into a homecoming crossroads bout in front of a viewing audience. The latter comes versus former junior welterweight titlist Maurice Hooker (27-1-3, 18KOs) in an all-Dallas welterweight battle which takes place Saturday evening, live on DAZN in front of a socially distanced crowd at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The bout comes eight months after Ortiz Jr. (16-0, 16KOs) helped Golden Boy and DAZN get their first look at boxing life in a bubble in his clash with Samuel Vargas last July. Ortiz won by 7th round knockout, though in what was a very different look for the 22-year old contender.
“The biggest difference fighting with no crowd—it was like sparring, except everything was on the line,” Ortiz admitted to BoxingScene.com. “I was happy I got to experience it one time. You could hear all the punches. I thought that was cool. I could hear specific people cheering (from ringside).
“Of course, it will feel better to hear fans in attendance again, especially my hometown fans. It will be good to fight in front of them again.”
Ortiz last appeared in his home region in August 2019, in fact fighting in his hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas. As is the case this weekend, the moment came with a step up in competition as he faced former title contender Antonio Orozco. Ortiz won by 6th round knockout, at the time deeper than he’d ever been in a pro fight.
In the end, the local favorite delivered though admits that the moment came after a busier-than-usual fight week if only to appease his adoring public.
“It wasn’t hectic but definitely a lot going on,” recalls Ortiz, who fights in the greater Dallas area for just the fourth time in his pro career. “It wasn’t a negative, it was a lot of support. People wanted T-shirts, they wanted to know where to buy tickets.
"It just comes with being in your hometown for a fight. It was a good kind of stress.”
Social distancing measures are in place this time around, which will limit Ortiz’s availability even if he wanted to accommodate every request. Whatever positives he has been able to gain from the pandemic can also be applied to the time leading up to his local headliner.
“Once those phone calls and texts start coming, I’m just gonna say, ‘I’m in the bubble. I can’t do shit for you,’” jokes Ortiz. “That’s it. I really can’t do nothing.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
