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.