Vergil Ortiz vs Michael McKinson was on then it was off and now maybe it could be back on. Ortiz was supposed to fight David Avanesyan on August 6th, but now that fight looks to be off and McKinson may be back in. Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, explained that David Avanesyan never sent the contract back after agreeing to terms. Saying “Golden Boy did everything they wanted, accommodated their every crazy need they asked for, and Vergil even kicked in some money to help make the fight. They agreed to the deal and then never would send the actual contract back.” and that Michael McKinson 22-0 (2 KO) will likely step in. The 28-year-old British southpaw was meant to fight Ortiz (18-0, 18 KO) on Mar. 19 in Los Angeles, but the fight was scrapped when Ortiz was diagnosed with rhymbosis. McKinson remained on the card and defeated Alex Martin via a lackluster decision.
Ortiz has not fought since August of last year when he destroyed former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas in eight rounds and dropped him a grand title of five times. Avanesyan was viewed as a decent opponent but a step back from Kavaliauskas, who stopped Avanesyan in six rounds back in 2018. However, he was still viewed as far more of a threat to the 18-0 Texan than McKinson, who despite being undefeated and sporting a 22-0 record is thought to be tailor made and does not nearly have the resume to make people think he can stand up to Ortiz. However, McKinson's promoter, Eddie Heard, was quite confident that his fighter could do quite well, due to his unorthodox style.
The fight is still scheduled for August 9th and was thought to be held at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, however, that is not confirmed. Ortiz fought at that venue back in 2021 when he stopped Maurice Hooker in for seven rounds, in an all-DFW shootout. The fight drew a fairly large and intense crowd. It would make sense to put the fight back at the Dickie's Arena. However, that has not been confirmed. Ortiz is currently ranked #1 by the WBO