Vergil Ortiz Jr.: record, next fight and profile →
Unbeaten welterweight puncher Vergil Ortiz (16-0, 16 KOs), 22-years-old, has no problem with finalizing a showdown against WBO world champion Terence Crawford. Ortiz, who holds the WBA's "gold" version of the welterweight title, is viewed as a legitimate threat in the weight class. He feels ready to face the biggest names at 147-pounds.
After rising star Vergil Ortiz Jr. moved up to welterweight in 2019, reeled off four knockout victories against a better grade of opposition than he had been facing, and was widely acclaimed as the prospect of the year, he and Golden Boy Promotions had big plans for him in 2020.
Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr., the explosive 2019 prospect of the year, has been moving up the ladder at quick pace and his promoter, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya, believes he is ready to face the best the division has to offer.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. will have plenty of muscle behind his already potent career for years to come. The 2019 Prospect of the Year and aspiring welterweight contender has inked an advisory deal with powerful boxing conglomerate MTK Global, BoxingScene.com has learned in a development first reported by The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger. The two sides agreed to terms for a five-year deal moving forward. In addition to signing with MTK, Ortiz has also retained the services of Rick Mirigian as his manager which also runs for the next five years.
With each win, rung by rung, Vergil Ortiz Jr. climbs further up the ladder to boxing’s big league. In his latest outing, the 22-year-old Texan battered Samuel Vargas inside seven rounds last Thursday at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA. His next opponent could be a former world titlist, according to Roberto Diaz, the matchmaker for Ortiz’s promoter Golden Boy.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. never stressed about the long delay between fights or the circumstances surrounding his latest ring adventure. The unbeaten rising welterweight made his 2020 debut, seven months after earning universal recognition as 2019 Prospect of the Year. The lengthy absence was entirely due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which wound up hitting home ahead of Friday’s clash with Canada’s Samuel Vargas.
One of the bigger upsets of the year occurred on June 23rd when Joshua Franco (17-1-2) upset WBA world super flyweight champion Andrew Moloney (21-1) in an ESPN televised main event that took place at "The Bubble" at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The confidence in Vergil Ortiz Jr. allowed him to enter the ring of the belief that there was no way he was going to lose as long as he implemented his game plan. There also existed the belief that Samuel Vargas could likely extend him deeper than at any other point in his career.
Given how the year has played out, Vergil Ortiz Jr. was willing to accept his rescheduled fight with Samuel Vargas as unfinished business. Now comes the time to truly satisfy his hunger. The unbeaten welterweight managed his first fight following a 2019 Prospect of the Year campaign, brutally dismantling Toronto’s Vargas (31-6-2, 14KOs) over seven lopsided rounds Friday evening at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
By Jake Donovan - The contender run is officially underway for Vergil Ortiz Jr. A power-punching display by the red-hot welterweight paved the way for a one-sided stoppage win over Canada’s Samuel Vargas. An onslaught of punishment forced a stoppage of 2:58 of round seven in their DAZN-streamed main event Friday evening, live in front of a crowdless Fantasy...