Name: Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Age: 23 | Date of Birth: 1998.03.25
Height: 5’10” (178cm) | Reach: 70.0″ (178cm)
Born: Dallas, Texas United States
Pro Boxing Record: 18-0-0 (Win-Loss-Draw)
Introduction:
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (born March 25, 1998) is a professional boxer from the United States. Since 2021, he has held the WBO International welterweight belt. He was a seven-time national champion as an amateur and the winner of the 2013 Junior Olympics. He was voted Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine in 2019. Ortiz is recognised for his punching power, with a 100 percent knockout-to-win ratio.
Early Life
Ortiz was undefeated in his first six fights, winning all of them by knockout and only losing one of them after the first round. On September 16, 2017, he fought Cesar Valenzuela on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin I, which he won by technical knockout in the second round.
After improving to 11-0, Ortiz fought Roberto Ortiz a year later on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II. Early in the second round, Vergil Ortiz knocked out his opponent with a right hook. Roberto rose to his feet, but he was still in pain. Vergil instantly attacked him and knocked him down with a right hand that brought his opponent to one knee. Roberto Ortiz rose to his feet again, but the referee ruled him unfit to continue, and the bout was called off.
Success
On August 10, 2019, Ortiz defeated Antonio Orozco by sixth-round technical knockout to claim the vacant WBA Gold welterweight title at The Theater at Grand Prairie in Grand Prairie, Texas. On December 13, 2019, he defended his championship against Brad Solomon at Indio, California, winning by fifth-round knockout.
Ortiz was supposed to fight Samuel Vargas on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders on March 28, 2020 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The battle between Alvarez and Saunders was postponed because of the COVID-19 epidemic, however it was rescheduled for July 24, 2020, at the same location as Ortiz’s previous fight against Brad Solomon. Ortiz retained his WBA Gold welterweight title by technical knockout in the seventh round.
On March 20, 2021, Ortiz won the vacant WBO International welterweight title by defeating Maurice Hooker with another seventh-round technical knockout in Fort Worth, Texas. Ortiz defended his title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas on August 14, 2021. Ortiz won by technical knockout in the eighth round against Kavaliauskas, who became Ortiz’s first opponent to last more than seven rounds.
