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Vergil Ortiz arrived in 2019.
The 21-year-old welterweight contender had four fights and four knockouts last year, stopping Jesus Barrayan and veterans Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco and Brad Solomon all within six rounds.
Now he’s considered a rising star who will one day challenge the best at either 147 or 154 pounds.
Ortiz (15-0, 15 KOs) was scheduled to face Samuel Vargas on March 28 but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dallas resident sat down for an interview before the Dec. 13 Solomon fight to discuss his breakout year and rise in boxing. He was asked to grade his year up to that point.
“You know what? I would grade this year definitely A+,” he said. “I’ve fought some quality opponents, taken them out when a lot of people didn’t think I would — including me.
“I feel like I’ve shown that I belong [among] the top dogs. I feel like people are starting to recognize me a lot more. This was my breakout year and I’m going to break out even more next year.”