Vergil Ortiz Jr.: record, next fight and profile →
Vergil Ortiz ended his last fight with a knockout win and in hopes of next facing Terence Crawford, the unbeaten welterweight titlist who had a ringside view for the occasion.
Hard-hitting welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz recently had his first taste of the Twitter mob. Recent accusations on social media that he turned down a fight against Terence Crawford, the WBO welterweight titleholder from Omaha, to face Egidijus Kavaliauskas instead had Ortiz and his promoter Golden Boy on the defensive.
Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas is raring to lay down some leather on his next opponent, welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz. As BoxingScene.com has previously reported, the two are scheduled to face each other on Aug. 14 at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, although the fight has not officially been announced yet by the promoter, Golden Boy.
Another night, another hometown headliner and step-up in class for Vergil Ortiz Jr. In what has become a familiar theme in his rise to contention, the toughest test to date awaits the unbeaten knockout artist from Grand Prairie, Texas. As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Ortiz (17-0, 17KOs) will next face former title challenger Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas, with their welterweight bout due to take place August 14 on DAZN from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Welterweight contender Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs), 32-years-old, has been out of the ring since July 2019, when he lost a twelve round split decision to Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The next step up in class for Vergil Ortiz Jr. will once again come in the form of a home game. BoxingScene.com has learned that the unbeaten welterweight contender is set to next face former title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Their crossroads bout will headline a DAZN telecast August 14 from The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is coming into his own as a welterweight contender and a box office draw. The unbeaten knockout artist enjoyed the best of both worlds in his most recent contest, a 7th round stoppage of Maurice Hooker (27-2-3, 18KOs). Their March 20th all-Dallas shootout played to a sold-out crowd at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The event—which streamed live on DAZN—produced a live gate of $391.040 from 4,558 tickets sold according to the final tax invoice provided by Golden Boy Promotions to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), a copy of which has been obtained by BoxingScene.com.
Conor Benn says he hopes he will get to box for the European title and get a world-title eliminator later this year and box for a world title in 2022. The 24-year-old faces Samuel Vargas at the Copper Box in East London on Saturday in the latest step to what he hopes will be the chance to emulate his father, Nigel, by winning a world title.
The most common reaction to Vergil Ortiz Jr. calling out Terence Crawford for his next fight is that it is too ambitious of a move. On the other side of the equation is the desire for the unbeaten Texan to win his first major title at welterweight before outgrowing the division.
If there is anything to have been learned by separate homecomings on both sides of the pandemic for Vergil Ortiz Jr., it’s that he remains adored in the greater Dallas area. The unbeaten knockout artist from Grand Prairie, Texas came up huge in a March 20 crosstown showdown with Dallas’ Maurice Hooker (27-2-3, 18KOs), stopping the former junior welterweight titlist inside of seven rounds. The bout topped a DAZN telecast which played to as many fans as social distancing would allow at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, marking his second home region headliner within his last four fights.