Grand Prairie native and undefeated Junior Middleweight Vergil Ortiz has had his name linked to several of the top guys at 154 pounds. Including world champion Tim Tszyu, that fight fell through as Tszyu inked a deal to meet up with former 147-pound unified champion Keith "One Time" Thurman in a mega fight scheduled for March 30th. That left the North Texan without a fight date. Rumors began circulating linking him with undefeated 154-pound prospect 21-year-old Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico. Zayas sports an 18-0 (12) record and appears well on his way to a world title fight. Zayas confirmed the rumors and said, "It would be a beautiful chapter to the Puerto Rico VS Mexic rivalry," and added, "Those Rumors may be true, and we can make that in the future. He just moved to 154. I am at 154. If I can stay at 154 and maybe get a title, we can make that fight in the future." Zayas went on to say that his next fight is already scheduled for June, on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade as he will square off with former world champion Patrick Teixeira at Madison Square Garden. Ortiz last fought in January, in Las Vegas, and stopped an outmatched Fredrick Laeson in one round to move his record to 20-0 (20). Another tune-up for Ortiz in May would make sense and would line the Puerto Rican and the Texan up perfectly for a fight in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Vergil Ortiz in Midst of Controversy and World Title Talks
The last 48 hours has been a whirlwind of events for the 154-pound undefeated world title prospect. Vergi Ortiz of Grand Prairie scored a first-round TKO of Fredrick Lawson that appeared to many observers. An inappropriate stoppage in the estimation of the boxing world. The win moved Ortiz's record to 20-0 (20), and marked his first win in a year and a half and his first above the welterweight limit. Following the controversial win, Ortiz called out WBO Junior Middleweight champion Tim Tszyu. The Texans promoter said he would get to work, and the fight was a real possibility. Multiple reports today that the two parties are discussing a fight this year.
In other news relating to the quick stoppage in Saturday's fight, referee Tony Weeks said he stopped the fight early because Fredrick Lawson had a brain aneurysm. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Weeks explained the stoppage by saying, “[I]t came up that he had an aneurysm, and they did a test again, and the same aneurysm came up. Another doctor was brought in and gave him the same examination, and he tested negative for the aneurysm, so they cleared him to fight.” Those claims were immediately refuted by both the promoter and the commission.
According to BoxingScene.com, Lawson was tested twice. Neither test produced anything that would jeopardize the fight. It is also not uncommon for a commission to request follow-up testing if anything on an initial examination is attention-catching. Informing Weeks of the details surrounding Lawson's license approval and/or medical condition would be a HIPAA violation.
Vergil Ortiz at career-high weight for Lawson fight
In 2016, a young Vergil Ortiz weighed in at 139 pounds for his professional debut, a four-round, jr welterweight affair with Julio Rodas. Ortiz won that bout by first round stoppage. He has gone on to win every other fight by stoppage as well, and has run his record to 19-0 (19). No longer a jr welterweight, the now 25-year-old Grand Prairie native tipped the scales at 156-pounds, officially making the contracted weight for Saturday's fight in Las Vegas against Fredrick Lawson 30-3 (22).
Ortiz will end his 17-month layoff in what amounts to a tune-up fight with Lawson, a Chicago resident who originally hails from Accra, Ghana, who last fought at UT-Arlington back in April and scored a career-best win over Estevan Villalobos via unanimous decision. Lawson, was also knocked out by Dallas-based junior middleweight and world title challenger Charles Hatley back in 2021. Ortiz last fought in August of 2022 and scored a 9th-round TKO of Michael Mckinson at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Ortiz, was scheduled to fight Lithuanian welterweight title holder Eimantas Stanionis. However, that fight fell through three different times for emergency medical reasons. First, the Lithuanian had to have emergency appendectomy surgery, which postponed its originaly fight date, that scheduled for last January. The fight was then called off twice more when Ortiz had flare-ups of his previously diagnosed rhabdomyolysis. The Grand Prarie native has never weighed in above the 147-pound limit in his professional career. Ortiz will be carrying nine extra pounds as he makes his "middleweight" debut! However the North Texan will in all likelihood, campaign at 154 pounds moving forward. The division will likely featrue two other pound for pound elites in DeSoto naive Errol Spence and Houton native Jermell Charlo. DraftKings sportsbook lists Ortiz as a 25-1 favorite to beat Lawson.
Vergil Ortiz Reunites with Robert Garcia
Undefeated junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie is back in familiar territory. The former top-ranked welterweight is back at the RGBA with head trainer Robert Garcia. Ortiz has gone through several trainers since turning pro in 2016. Ortiz trained with Joel Diaz initially before moving on to train with Robert Garcia, which he did up until late 2021 when he announced he was splitting with the trainer, citing Garcia had opted to work the corner of Joshua Franco in his trilogy with Andrew Moloney in the summer of 2021. Ortiz fought Egidijus Kavaliauskas on the same day at a different location. Garcia said he tried to figure out a way to get a helicopter between the two fights. Ortiz fought in Frisco and Franco in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The logistics didn't work, and despite making less money, Garcia opted to corner Franco's fight despite making considerably less money. Ortiz then opted to work with esteemed trainer Manny Robles for his 2022 fight with Michael McKinson in Fort Worth. Ortizx won the fight via 9th round TKO and has not fought since. His fight with Eimantas Stanionis was postponed multiple times and then finally canceled. Stanionis postponed the date after having emergency appendectomy surgery in January. Ortiz then had to pull out of the fight twice due to a flare-up of his previously diagnosed rhabdomyolysis. Ortiz announced today via social media that he had returned to the RGBA to train with the legendary trainer.
Vergil Ortiz Set to Return; January 6 in Vegas
Former prospect of the year and Grand Prairie native, Vergil Ortiz will resume his career after a few medical scares, and will move up from 147 to 154. The undefeated 25-year-old will headline a January 6th Golden Boy card in Las Vegas. Ortiz has not fought in Las Vegas since May 2019 on the undercard of Canelo-Jacobs. Ortiz scored a brutal and star-making KO of Mauricio Herrera. It will be the first Vegas card that the young KO artist has headlined. He has previously headlined cards in Texas and California.
Ortiz currently sports a perfect 19-0 record, with all 19 wins coming by way of stoppage. The Texan will battle Chicago-based, Ghanaian-born Fredick Lawson, 30-3 (22). A hard-hitting fringe contender who has mixed it up with some high-level fighters. The 33-year-old Ghanaian has a win over Breidis Prescott and has been in with Dallas native Charles Hatley and Canadian contender Kevin Bizer. In his three losses, Lawson was stopped in all of them, a recipe for disaster when stepping in with a fighter who has stopped every opponent he has faced.
Ortiz last fought in Fort Worth in August 2022 and stopped Michael Mckinson in nine rounds. The Texan was named mandatory challenger to WBA titlist Eimantas Stanionis after the McKinson win. That fight was scheduled three times but never came to fruition. Originally, Stanionis needed to pull out due to Appendicitis. The fight was rescheduled for April, and finally, July. Ortiz was forced to pull out both times with flare-ups of his rhabdomyolysis diagnosis.
Vergil Ortiz out again, San Antonio Card Will Still Go On.
The Eimantas Stanionis VS Eimantas Stanionis WBA "Regular" World Title fight seems to be cursed. The fight, was scheduled for Saturday, July 8th, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, is off again. This is the third time the bout was pushed back and maybe off altogether. It was originally scheduled for March 28th. However, Stanioins had to pull out due to appendicitis. That required an emergency appendectomy. The bout was rescheduled for April 29th in Arlington, and that fight date was pushed back, when Ortiz, a Grand Prairie native, suffered a flare-up of his previously diagnosed rhabdomyolysis. The fight was then moved to Saturday in Alamo City and is now possibly off. The Texan, was hospitalized after passing out.
Ortiz's promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, expressed concern for his best fighter saying, "This is the third time we are very concerned." However insisted that Ortiz was "OK" and was told that "Doctors said he will make a full recovery and fight again." The promoter also suggested that his undefeated welterweight maybe moving-up from 147 pounds to 154 pounds.
The card will still go on and is loaded with Texas talent. It will now be headlined by 20-year-old phenom Floyd Schofield of Austin, 14-0 (8), who will battle with Haskell Rhodes in a 10-round lightweight affair. Also, Houston native and unified Flyweight champ Marlen Esparza will look to add another strap when she battles Gabriela Celeste Alaniz of Argentina. Texas-based prospect Tristian Kalkreuth 10-1 (7) of Duncanville, and Darius Fulghum, 5-0 (5) of Houston, will all be featured on the Texas-centric card.
Vergil Ortiz and Marlen Esparza Likely to Return July 8, Possibly in San Antonio
Saturday's Golden Boy Card on the grounds of UT Arlington was supposed to showcase world title fights, including Grand Prairie native Vergil Oritz plus unified women's Flyweight champ Marlen Esparza of Houston. However, both those fights have been axed. Ortiz's title fight with WBA 'regular' world title holder Eimantas Stanionis was called-off when Ortiz suffered a flare-up of Rhabdomyolysis, a serious medical condition he was diagnosed with last year before his original fight date with Michael McKinson in the first quarter of 2022.
Esparza, who holds the WBA and WBC Flyweight titles, was supposed to meet up with WBO champ "La Chucky '' Gabriela Celeste Alaniz of Argentina. That fight fell through as Alaniz's visa was not processed and approved in time. According to Golden Boy president Eric Gomez, there's nothing legally holding it up, and there's no reason to think the Visa won't be approved. It "just takes time," and it took more time than expected, and they ran out of time.
Both these fights will likely be rescheduled for July 8th and possibly in San Antonio at the AT&T Center. Golden Boy originally planned to keep the card in the DFW area but had trouble finding a venue according to Gomez. They have done well in San Antonio, and it's still in Ortiz's and Esparza's home state. The Alamo City has been particularly friendly to Esparza. She scored two consecutive wins in the Alamo City in 2021-22. She picked up two lopsided decisions. First over Anabel Ortiz at the AT&T Center in late 2021. The Houstonian then scored one of the most important wins of her impressive career by outpointing Naoko Fujioka in a unification bout in which Esparza also became the first ever Ring Magazine Women's Flyweight Champ at the Alamodome on the undercard of Ryan Garcia VS Emmanuel Tagoe in front of a crowd of nearly 15,000 fans.
Ortiz Possibly Returning July 8th
Some good news for North Texas fight fans. We reported last week, after speaking to trainer Manny Robles, that Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie was recovering well and doing great. Those reports are apparently true! The number WBA's number one-ranked welterweight could be back in the ring by July 8th.
Multiple sources reported that Ortiz, 19-0 (19), will finally meet up with WBA Regular champ Eimantas Stanionis on July 8th. The rumors have not been confirmed, and no location is attached to the date. However, the reports on Ortiz are positive. The showdown with Stanionis was originally scheduled for March 18th. However, the reigning champion had to back out due to emergency appendectomy surgery. The fight was rescheduled for April 29th but was again canceled, when Ortiz suffered a rhabdomyolysis flare-up.
Ortiz last fought back in August and stopped British opponent Micahel McKinson in the ninth round at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth!
Ortiz "Doing Well" "Expected to return in Late Summer": April 29th card will be Headlined by William Zepeda
Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz, 19-0 (19) had to pull out of his April 29th showdown with Eimantas Stanionis due to a flare-up of his rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. The fight was originally scheduled for March 18th, and Eimantas Stanionins had to pull out of the fight for medical reasons as well. He needed emergency appendectomy surgery in January, pushing the fight back till April.
Ortiz had to postpone a 2022 fight with fringe contender Michael McKinson when he was originally diagnosed with the medical condition. According to the CDC'S website rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability. Rhabdo occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. These substances can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability or even death. According to the National Institute of Health, Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by a litany of things, including but not limited to infections, muscle ischemia, electrolyte and metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, exertion or prolonged bed rest, and temperature-induced states.
According to Ortiz's head trainer Manny Robles, Vergil Ortiz is "Healing quickly and feeling a lot better" Robles went on to say that "He won't be out for long. We are expecting him to be back by late summer." that's good news for the undefeated knockout artists growing fan base in North Texas. Ortiz last fought in August at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth and scored and 9th-round TKO victory over Mckinson.
Golden Boy will keep the April 29th date that they had scheduled for Ortiz on the Grounds of UT-Arlington and it will be headlined by lightweight contender William Zepeda. Zepeda handed San Antonio-based contender Hector Tanajara his only career loss back in 2021 and has been surging ever since will battle with Jaime Arboleda of Curundu, Panama.
Ortiz Jr Suffers Rhabdomyolysis Flare Up, Stanionis Title Fight Postponed
For the second time in about 12 months, Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz will have to pull out of a major fight due to rhabdomyolysis. He was scheduled to fight Eimantas Stanionis for his WBA Regular title on April 29th. A win in that fight would put him in line to fight the WBA Super champ, Errol Spence of DeSoto. The April 9th bout with Stanionis was originally scheduled for March 18th. However, Stanionis had to postpone the bout due to an emergency appendectomy. The bout was rescheduled for April 29th and is now, being pushed back again. The North Texan took to Instagram to release a statement saying he "had a flare-up rhabdomyolysis and not feeling anywhere near myself." Ortiz went on to say he is "optimistic that this fight will still happen just on a later date." Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Ortiz, and won the purse bid for the bout also released a statement saying, "Ortiz Jr is expected to make a full recovery and return to the ring later this year" and added that "More Information on the April 29th event will be announced shortly." Texas Boxing Scene reached out to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, for comment and said that he had "no info yet" but would keep us posted.
Ortiz had to pull out of a fight with contender Michael McKinson last March due to the same condition. McKinson won that night when he outpointed Alex Martin, who was a last-minute substitution for Ortiz. McKinson finally met up with Ortiz in August of 2022 at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth. Ortiz was pushed into the deepest waters of his career, going past the seventh round for the first time. Ortiz finally stopped the elusive McKinson in the ninth round to extend his consecutive knockout streak to 19, moving his record to 19-0 (19).
Vergil Ortiz Returns Home on April 29th to Challange for First World Title
Grand Prairie's favorite son will return home, officially, On April 29th, or about as close to home as possible. Virgil Ortiz, the #1 contender per the WBA will fight for his first major world title as he takes on WBA "Regular" World Champ Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) of Kaunas, Lithuania. The bout will take place at College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington campus and will be aired on DAZN! The North Texan took to Facebook yesterday to formally announce his fight that was originally set to take place on March 18th. However, Stanions had to pull out due to emergency Appendectomy Surgery.
Ortiz expressed his excitement about the official announcement “I am beyond happy, knowing that we’re finally here, fighting for a world title" He also took to Facebook to let the announcement be known posting" I’m back on April 29th at UTA in Arlington, Texas
This one will be for the WBA Welterweight World Title. I’ll announce when the tickets go on sale. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody there I’m very excited about this one "
Recent DFW natives Maurice Hooker and Errol Spence had to travel to England and win their world titles on the road. Making this a unique opportunity for Ortiz and a special moment for his hometown fan base, who will get to celebrate winning the world title with him. The north Texan has built up quite a fan base in the DFW metroplex. He has continued to fight in the area over and over again. He has fought in the metroplex a total of six times and is 6-0, with all six wins coming by stoppage. He will look to continue that perfect streak on April 29th.
It is what potentially comes after this fight that makes this fight even more interesting for the undefeated Grand Prairie native. Should Ortiz win, which he is expected to, he becomes the mandatory challenger to fight the WBA super champ, Errol Spence of Desoto. That would likely be at AT&T Stadium and would be one of the biggest fights in Texas boxing history! It has been rumored, however, that Spence was going up to 154 to fight Keith Thurman, those rumors have not come to fruition but there is much speculation if Spence, a giant 147-pounder, is all done at welterweight and moving up to Jr middleweight. If that's the case, Ortiz would likely be looking at a unification fight with pound-for-pound elite and WBO champ Terence Crawford. Crawford has been in negotiations with Ortiz's promoter Golden Boy to discuss a potential multi-fight deal that would put the two champions against each other.
Ortiz last fought in August and stopped Michael Mckinson inside of nine rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19) at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Stannions is no stranger to Texas. He last fought at AT&T Stadium on the undercard of Spence vs Ugas last April. He scored a controversial and close 12-round split decision over Radzhab Butaev to capture the WBA regular strap.
Cobbs Walks Back Comments About Ortiz and Avoids Legal Action
Blair "The Flair" Cobbs is constantly outspoken and known more for his talking than his fighting, and he can fight, but he can really talk. Cobbs has spent much of the past year making baseless allegations that Grand Prairie native and undefeated KO artist Vergil Ortiz, 19-0 (19), is somehow "dirty" or some type of "steroid cheat". In no uncertain terms, Cobbs made a very bold claim “Ortiz is using steroids.” He also blamed Ortiz's rhabdomyolysis diagnosis, which pushed back last year's fight with Michael McKinson, on steroids. Saying, “They say he has rhabdomyolysis. That’s what I had that f------ my feet up. That’s very common with steroid abuse. No wonder he’s so explosive.” Cobbs doubled down on the baseless allegations again on a recent podcast saying, “He better not be on the ‘roids. He looking real suspicious.”
Rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability. It can be caused by heat exposure, physical exertion or overuse, and direct trauma. All of those things are common for a fighter in training camp. Cobbs went as far as to bet $100,000 that the undefeated KO artist was dirty.
Ortiz and his team had enough and punched back. Weintraub Tobin Law Firm, which represents the Grand Prairie native issued a cease-and-desist letter. Which outlined the factless allegations and demanded Cobbs immediately cease and desist from making any additional comments of this nature about Mr. Ortiz.
The letter gave Cobbs till Monday, the 30th, to retract the claims, or a civil lawsuit would be triggered, in which Ortiz's legal team would seek damages in excess of $100,000 plus legal fees.
On Monday Cobbs obliged and walked back his comments “Let me give you guys a big retraction statement on Vergil Ortiz doing performance enhancement drugs...Initially, I thought that he was possibly a user with this illness that very rarely ever happens to anyone that is in boxing. It’s a rare disease, but incredibly dangerous called rhabdomyolysis. He got admitted into the hospital." Cobbs went on “Thank goodness he’s safe and healthy. But initially, when he got into that hospital with that extremely rare case and rare disease, I thought he was on some steroids.”
A retraction that was adequate for the Ortiz team. Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, who is no stranger to trash-talking and stirring the pot, told Cobbs "I like the trash talk... but you crossed the line, you don't go there." In boxing, alleged cheating and steroid use are far more serious than in other sports. It's a sport that can be life and death, it's not just hitting home runs like in baseball. The consequences of using steroids are much more dire. Mirigian said Cobbs "Took the Comment back... he did the right thing."
Cobbs who is known for his outspoken demeanor was obviously looking to talk himself into a lucrative fight with the undefeated Ortiz, but according to Ortiz's manager, "He's not getting that fight. They are at different points in their career. Ortiz is fighting for a world title and then mega fights after that."
The two possible mega fights in reference would be an all-Texas shootout, with WBA Super champ Errol Spence. A fight that would be mandated by the WBA, assuming Ortiz gets passed on Eimantas Stanionis, which the North Texan is expected to do. That fight is scheduled for April 29th in the DFW area, but no venue has been locked down yet. A win there would put Ortiz in the catbird seat. If Spence comes back down to 147, Ortiz is guaranteed that fight, or Spence would be stripped of the belt and Ortiz would be designated "Super Champ" by the WBA. If that were to happen, the next logical step would be a WBA/WBO unification scrap with Terence Crawford. "Ortiz is in a position where he can't lose," Mirigian said. When asked if his young fighter had a preference between the two pound-for-pound elite world champions, Mirigian explained, "He's open to both, he wants both, but he would prefer the Spence Fight... It would sell out Cowboy Stadium [AT&T Stadium in Arlington]... it would be one of the biggest fights in Texas history."
With the allegations and legal paperwork in the rearview Ortiz moves forward on his march to a world title.
Stanionis Needs Emergency Appendectomy Ortiz Fight Sidelined till April
Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz was scheduled to fight Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania on March 18th for the WBA "Regular" Welterweight title. That fight will be postponed. The Lithuanian had an appendectomy Friday in Lithuania. Stanionis promoter Richard Schaefer has been in communication with Golden Boy, who represents Ortiz and won the Purse bid for the fight. Schaefer said, "We communicated to Golden Boy, who is going to look at available dates for the second half of April... He [ Stanionis] needs to follow doctor's orders, and he will be ready to go.
So the fight is not off for good and will only be postponed a few weeks. Additional good news for North Texas area fight fans the fight is still expected to be held in the DFW area. At the time of the postponement, no venue was nailed down. However, the bout is still expected to be held in the area.
Golden Boy won the bid last year with a bid of $2.3 million. According to WBA guidelines, Ortiz would earn a 25% split or roughly $575,000 with $1.75 million going to Stanionis, the champion. Multiple sources have reported that Golden Boy will be chipping in more money for Ortiz who is obviously a much bigger star in Texas.
Ortiz last fought in August at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth and scored a ninth-round TKO over Michael McKinson, of Britain to run his record to a perfect 19-0, with all 19 wins coming by way of stoppage. Stanionis sports a 14-0 (9) record and also had his last fight in the DFW Metroplex. He outpointed Radzhab Butaev over 12 rounds at AT&T Stadium. That was last April on the undercard of Spence-Ugas.
Vergil Ortiz Returns to Dallas Area to Challange for First World Title
Undefeated welterweight phenom Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie will return to North Texas to make his first world title shot. Ortiz will battle WBA "regular" World Champion Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania.
The bout went to purse bids and was won by Golden Boy Promotions back in December for $ 2.3 million and will take place in the DFW area on March 18th. No Venue has been announced yet. However, each fighter fought their last bout in the DFW Metroplex. Ortiz fought in August and stopped Michael McKinson at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth and Stanionis fought at AT&T Stadium and outpointed Radzhab Butaev to capture the WBA title.
The bigger news is the winner of the bout will be the mandatory challenger for the WBA "Super" World Champion, which happens to be Errol Spence of DeSoto. This means if Ortiz wins, which he will be favored to, a long-awaited all-DFW Shootout with Spence will be mandated by the WBA.
Ortiz is 24 years old and has long been considered one of the premier prospects in the sport. The Grand Prairie native sports a perfect 19-0 (19) record. Stanionis is also undefeated at 14-0 (9).
Golden Boy Wins Ortiz vs Stanionis Purse Bid
Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie defeated Michael McKinson back in August in Fort Worth at the Dickies Arena. He stopped Michael McKinson over nine-one-sided rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19). In doing so, he became the mandatory challenger for the WBA "Regular" Champion Eimantas Stanionis. The two were ordered to fight by the WBA and it was Ortiz's promotional outfit, Golden Boy Promotions, that won the WBA title fight with a bid of $2.3 million outdueling, TGB Promotions, which is closely tied to PBC, who bid $2.1 million. According to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, the fight will take place in either L.A. or Texas and will likely be held in late March. Ortiz is guaranteed to make a minimum of $575,000, and Stanionins, the champ, will get 75% of the purse, or $1,725,000. The bout will stream on DAZN.
Stanionis hails from Lithuania and sports a record of 14-0 (9). He captured the title back in April by outpointing Radzhab Butaev in a highly competitive fight that was the co-main event of the Errol Spence vs Yordenis Ugas unification bout in Las Vegas. Stanionis was moved along quickly after a very successful amateur career that included winning a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships in the welterweight bracket and had wins over Justin DeLoach, and Thomas Dulorme, and faced former champ Luis Collazo but it ended in a no contest after an accidental but vicious clash of heads in the fourth rounds.
Ortiz successful in Return After 12-month layoff: Big Things Next
Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy
It's been a tumultuous 12 months for undefeated, 24-year-old, 147-pound sensation, Vergil Oritz of Grand Prairie. After the longest layoff of his young career and recovering from rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening condition that attacks the kidneys. Ortiz had his character attacked. After rumors circulated that he pulled out of the original McKinson date because he was walking around heavy and unable to make the 147-pound limit back in March. Ortiz said the criticism is blatantly untrue."They're giving people the wrong information, just straight up false information." Ortiz continued "camp and the weight cut were going fine. I was eating perfectly everything was going good and then everything went south." Ortiz described his condition as literally feeling like his better was falling apart. "We went to the doctor and they did some blood tests and discovered that my muscles were literally breaking down." The attacks on Ortiz bothered the younger fighter who prides himself on his work ethic "They were slandering my name, People who are up there [in the boxing world] with straight up false information."
The undue and inaccurate scrutiny got underneath the skin of Ortiz. However, it ultimately had no impact on his performance. Ortiz was business as usual Saturday night in Fort Worth at the Dickies Arena, in front of a crowd of around 6,500. Ortiz was hyped to be back in front of his home crowd saying, "It's a wonderful feeling having the whole [Dallas-Fort Worth] Metroplex have your back that's always a great feeling" After a bit of a feeling out process Ortiz got to work in the third snapping the head of McKinson with a vicious uppercut that left McKinson staggered and hanging on. Ortiz continued to stalk and ripped power shots to the head and body as McKinson was trying to run out the clock in the third stanza. McKinson was able to stay away and was able to even score a few clean shots with his southpaw jab and the occasional looping left hand. However, the issue was never in doubt. During the middle rounds, Ortiz showed his superior class. The Texan slowed the pace and sharpshooting from the outside and landed thudding head and body shots on the Englishman. McKinson would not cooperate and go quietly into that good night as he continued to circle and make Ortiz chase after him. However, the Grand Prairie stayed patient and got what he was looking for in the eighth a perfectly placed left hook McKinsons body that dropped him. A game and courageous McKinson was somehow able to get to his feet and run out the round. Ortiz said, "No, I wasn't surprised" that he got up. The end was near, however, as Ortiz picked up in the ninth, where he left off in the eighth. The hard-hitting Texan dropped his rugged opponent again with a body shot again McKinson was somehow able to beat the count and make it to his feet. Barely able to stand and clearly in tremendous pain, McKinson was allowed to continue for reasons unknown. After going into retreat and being unable to keep Ortiz off of him, McKinson's corner threw in the towel, and referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight 27 seconds into round nine.
The bout was deemed a title eliminator by the WBA. The WBA world champion is Errol Spence. Take a step back DFW fight fans. That's not the title Ortiz will be in line for. He will be mandatory for the "Regular" designation of the belt which is held by Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania. The other and more lucrative option for Ortiz is WBO welterweight champ and an all-time-great, pound-for-pound elite, Terence "Bud" Crawford. Crawford expressed interest in fighting Ortiz, who is ranked number one by the WBO.
Ortiz vs McKinson Now a WBA Title Eliminator
The stakes just got higher for Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie and Mikey "The Problem" McKinson of Portsmouth, England. Saturday's main event at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth between unbeaten welterweight prospects is now a WBA title eliminator. Meaning the winner will be the mandatory challenger for the WBA world title. Ortiz is ranked highly for the WBA and WBO world titles. A win for Ortiz will mean he will be ranked number one in the WBO, a belt held by Terence Crawford, and the mandatory challenger for the WBA held by Errol Spence of Dallas. McKinson said he "found out 5 or 10 minutes before they announced it." Mckinson added he "was not surprised" and that he'd be happy to return to Texas to fight Spence, should he beat Ortiz on Saturday night.
Ortiz is considered by many to be the best young prospect in the sport, and an all-Texas shootout with Spence has long been dreamed of by Texas fight fans, with AT&T stadium being the absolutely ideal home for the fight. Spence, who also holds the WBC and IBF titles, is rumored to be in heavy discussion for a unification bout with Crawford. Unifications typically take precedence over mandatories. However, that fight is far from being made. If that fight does not come off, Ortiz will be in a position to possibly pick which of the belts he wants to fight for. He'd be ranked in the top spot by both organizations. Ortiz and trainer Manny Robles both expressed no preference and were more than open to fighting either of the two welterweight champions.
Avanesyan out as Vergil Ortiz's opponent. McKinson might be back in!
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
Vergil Ortiz returning August 6th? Likely in Dallas.
Undefeated Welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz, of Grand Prairie, was scheduled to fight in Los Angeles back in March but had to pull out when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, commonly known as rhabdo, a condition that can be life-threatening and is caused by muscle breakdown and muscle death. This dangerous muscle damage can result from overexertion, trauma, toxic substances, or disease. As muscle cells disintegrate, they release a protein called myoglobin into the blood. The kidneys are responsible for removing this myoglobin from the blood so urine can flush it out of the body. The Grand Prairie native has apparently made a full recovery and will return to the ring on August 6th to take on rugged veteran David Avanesyan. A 33-year-old Russian contender that has won six consecutive fights, including stopping unbeaten prospect Josh Taylor. He last lost to Egidijus Kavaliauskas, a common opponent with Ortiz who stopped Kavaliauskas back in August via 8th round TKO. Avanesyan also lost to Lamont Peterson in his lone world title shot back in 2017. He has wins over former world champion Shane Mosley, as well as contenders Liam Taylor, and two wins over Kerman Lejarraga.
Ortiz is ranked number one by the World Boxing Organization and could be in line for an immediate world title shot if he should win on August 6th. Avanesyan is ranked seventh by the organization. The north Texan has been out of the ring for what will be just a week shy of a year when he steps into the ring with his Russian opponent. His last outing was the highly impressive 8th-round TKO of Kavaliauskas. Ortiz knocked down the former world title challenger five times before finally finishing him off for good in the eighth. Ortiz sports a perfect 18-0 record with all 18 wins coming by way of knockout. This will be the longest layoff of the 24-year-old Ortiz's career. The August 6th date is and the fight itself is still not signed currently, according to Golden Boy. However, the location and venue are not set in stone. Ortiz has fought his last two bouts in the metroplex and has fought in the metroplex three times since 2019. He was scheduled to fight Michael Mckinson on March 19th in California on the grounds of USC at the Galen Center prior to being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.
Vergil Ortiz set to return
It looks like Vergil Ortiz's layoff won't be too much longer as Golden Boy CEO, Oscar De La Hoya has announced that their prized possession, Vergil Ortiz will return on MAugust arch 6th. No Opponent has been named and no site has been set. Ortiz 18-0 (18) has not fought Ortiz does not yet have an opponent and there is no set location, but De La Hoya said that Ortiz will headline a card. WBA super-flyweight champ Joshua Franco, also of Texas has an upcoming fight as well; there is no confirmation if the two will fight on the same card.
Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs), 24, of Grand Prairie has been out of the ring since last August when he knocked out former WBO welterweight title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the eighth round at the star in Frisco. So it will be nearly a full year out of the ring for Ortiz who was originally scheduled to fight back in March in Los Angeles but was forced to pull out when he was hospitalized just days before the scheduled fight against Michael McKinson. Ortiz was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can be life-threatening and is caused by muscle breakdown and muscle death. This dangerous muscle damage can be a result of overexertion, trauma, toxic substances, or disease.
Ortiz is the top-ranked 147-pounder by the WBO and will be in line to fight the champion, Terence Crawford, at some point in the not-so-distant future. The Grand Prairie native recently turned 2,4 and is considered to be among the very best young fighters in the world. He has won all 18 of his professional bouts by way of stoppage.