So far this year, boxing has been marred with the cancellation of fights, top boxers not fighting each other, and bad decisions. However, there are fighters that are willing to prove themselves and are daring to be great which reminds us why it’s great to be a boxing fan. One of those fighters that have been willing to do this is Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Vergil Ortiz Jr (18-0, 18 KO’s) of Grand Prairie, Texas, has shown that he has all the tools. He is a patient fighter that applies good pressure. He also has good technique and skills.
Plus, he has knockout power. In particular, he has a good right hand which has dropped many of his opponents with. Another attribute that stands out for Ortiz, is that he is a good finisher.
Ortiz made his splash at welterweight in 2019 and he has been impressive. Ortiz stopped seasoned veteran Mauricio Herrera in three rounds.
Ortiz was the first fighter to stop Herrera. He followed this up with stoppages over Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon, and Samuel Vargas.
Back in March of this year, Ortiz made a big step in competition when he faced off with former super lightweight champion Maurice Hooker.
It was a fight that many people were interested to see how good Ortiz was. In the Hooker fight, he kept the momentum going and his KO streak by stopping Hooker in the seventh round. Ortiz had passed his first big test.
Even though the win was good, many wanted to see Ortiz fight a solid welterweight. Ortiz wasted no time on this and he did that this past weekend.
He faced off with Egidijus Kavaliauskas also known as The Mean Machine. The fight took place at The Ford Center at The Star, in Frisco, Texas, and once again Ortiz did not disappoint his fans.
Kavaliauskas was a huge threat as he was one of the top welterweights of the division. He had only lost to Terence Crawford in a fight where he gave Crawford problems.
In Ortiz’s fight with Kavaliauskas, we learned something new from Ortiz. Ortiz showed that he can battle through adversity.
In the second round, Kavaliauskas caught Ortiz with a right uppercut that stunned him. It was the most we have seen Ortiz hurt in a fight.
Kavaliauskas jumped on that opportunity to follow up with more big punches. Ortiz responded but not holding or running away but instead he fought back. This is a trait that you see the best fighters do.
After the second round, Ortiz adjusted and dominated the fight. He would drop Kavaliauskas a total of five times in the fight. Ortiz ended up stopping Kavaliauskas in the eighth round.
The 23-year-old has gone from top prospect to top contender. Now, Ortiz will be in line for a title shot. Ortiz called out all the top fighters at welterweight and is not afraid of anybody.
Bottom line: Ortiz is proving that he is the real deal.
Ortiz continues to stay busy and has been stepping the competition with every fight. Not only is he just winning but he has stopped all his opponents.
Ortiz is a must-see attraction and his fan base keeps growing. I believe we have a future world champion in our hands with Ortiz.
Terence Crawford is a name mentioned as a possible opponent for Ortiz even though we might see Crawford fight Shawn Porter first.
However, Ortiz is in one of the best divisions in boxing that has many good opponents. Whoever Ortiz fights, you can bet I’ll be watching and so should you.