Vergil Ortiz Jr. eager to test himself against the best
Vergil Ortiz Jr. let out a groan when he was asked about Canelo Alvarez’s departure from Golden Boy Promotions, which handles Ortiz.
The welterweight contender clearly isn’t happy to see the Mexican star leave the fold. At the same time, he recognizes that without the immense presence of Alvarez his promoter will be able to concentrate more intently on its young stars, like himself, Ryan Garcia and Jaime Munguia.
And, in fact, the timing couldn’t have been better for Ortiz: 2021, he says, is going to be his break-out year.
“Firstly, I’m sad about Canelo leaving,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I really enjoyed fighting on his undercards. I’m really going to miss that. I thought we would be fighting on the same cards the rest of our careers.
“… I think it does give some other fighters more opportunity. Golden Boy can put more focus on it’s up-and-coming stars. I’m sure people will benefit.”
Golden Boy has a lot to work with in Ortiz, who is only 22 years old and loaded with talent. The 16 knockouts in 16 fights speaks loudly but he also is a good, patient boxer who doesn’t depend entirely on his power.
Of course, he must still demonstrate those qualities against next-level opposition, which is his intention beginning next year.
Ortiz has always seen world championships in his future but a recent high-profile fight was particularly inspiring as he prepares to take the next step in his career: Teofimo Lopez’s sensational victory over pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko last month at 23 years old.
“Teofimo really motivated me a lot,” Ortiz said. “He beat arguably the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter at 23 years old. For the most part I don’t think anyone thought he was going to do that. I’ve been saying this era of boxers, the next generation coming up, is probably the best the world has ever seen.
“I’ve seen these guys growing. They’re different. That’s all I can say.”
Who does Ortiz have in mind for 2021?
Well, he’s thinking big. He has already begun calling out big-name welterweights. That includes former 147-year-old titleholder Keith Thurman, who Ortiz is confident he can beat tomorrow if the fight were to be made.
He’s realistic, though. Ortiz, still growing his brand, is arguably too big a risk for too little gain for the elite 147-pounders. He recognizes that he must force his biggest rivals to fight him by winning titles and continuing to build his name recognition.
And he acknowledges that he has room to grow as a fighter, both physically and technically. He said he feels stronger – “I’m getting my man strength” — and more confident in his ability every time he puts on boxing gloves.
Thus, when the time comes to challenge himself against elite opponents, he feels he’ll be in a position to win.
“I think I’m ready,” said Ortiz, referring to the top 147-pounders. “I’ve been wanting to fight Keith Thurman for a long time. I remember calling him out two, three years ago. I’m pretty sure I can beat him, 95 percent sure. His weaknesses are my strengths.
“Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. I’d love to see how I’d do against them. I like to test myself. I don’t like easy fights. It makes me feel like I haven’t accomplished anything.”
Samuel Vargas wasn’t supposed to be an easy opponent on July 24, his most-recent fight, but that’s how it turned out.
The slick veteran from Colombia gave Ortiz some resistance early in the fight and took many of Ortiz’s biggest shots. However, the heavy blows eventually took their toll and Vargas couldn’t get out of the seventh round.
Robert Garcia, his trainer, wasn’t in Ortiz’s corner for that fight after testing positive for COVID-19 but was impressed with what he saw on TV.
“Man, after that, I got so many calls from everybody in boxing, family members, everybody about how good he looked,” Garcia said on The PBC Podcast. “This kid is sensational. I think he’s the next big thing at welterweight. We’re not rushing anything anytime soon but by the end of next year he’ll be ready to fight for a title.
“Honestly, I do believe he has the power, the strength, the decision, the mentality to beat any of the champions. He’s the real deal. … I wouldn’t be afraid in maybe two, three fights to have him fight anybody in the welterweight division.”
That’s music to Ortiz’s ears. He’s young, approaching his prime. He wants to get rolling.
“I don’t want to lose any time,” he said. “I’m in my youth, I want to make the most out of it. I’ve seen a lot of fighters have one fight a year. No. I want to fight at least three times a year. Sadly, I couldn’t do that this year because of the pandemic.
“I want to make 2021 the best year of my career so far.”