Tag: Michael McKinson

Vergil Ortiz pulls out of Saturday’s fight because of muscle condition

Vergil Ortiz pulled out of Saturday’s fight against Michael McKinson because of a muscle condition.

Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. has pulled out Saturday’s fight against Michael McKinson in Los Angeles after he was diagnosed with a muscle condition, Golden Boy Promotions announced in a news release Tuesday.

Ortiz has rhabdomyolysis, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as follows: “Rhabdomyolysis is a rare condition in which muscle cells break down and release a substance into the blood that can lead to kidney failure. Most often, it’s seen in people who have suffered major injuries or trauma. Rhabdomyolysis may also develop in response to certain medications, dietary supplements or drugs.”

Ortiz is “recovering well in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery,” according to the release. The promoter didn’t speculate about when he might return.

And it provided no information about the status of the event Saturday at USC’s Galen Center. Alexis Rocha was scheduled to fight Blair Cobbs in a welterweight bout on the undercard.

“We wish Vergil a very quick and speedy recovery,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “As fighters, our first instinct is to fight whatever we have and tough it out. It takes a lot of courage to admit that something is wrong and get the care that you need.

“We are confident that we will be seeing Vergil in the ring again very soon.”

Ortiz, who turns 24 on March 25, has stopped all 18 of his opponents. None has gone past eight rounds with him.

The Texan had hoped a victory over McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs) would be another step toward a shot at a major 147-pound title.

Vergil Ortiz pulls out of Saturday’s fight because of muscle condition

Vergil Ortiz pulled out of Saturday’s fight against Michael McKinson because of a muscle condition.

Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. has pulled out Saturday’s fight against Michael McKinson in Los Angeles after he was diagnosed with a muscle condition, Golden Boy Promotions announced in a news release Tuesday.

Ortiz has rhabdomyolysis, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as follows: “Rhabdomyolysis is a rare condition in which muscle cells break down and release a substance into the blood that can lead to kidney failure. Most often, it’s seen in people who have suffered major injuries or trauma. Rhabdomyolysis may also develop in response to certain medications, dietary supplements or drugs.”

Ortiz is “recovering well in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery,” according to the release. The promoter didn’t speculate about when he might return.

And it provided no information about the status of the event Saturday at USC’s Galen Center. Alexis Rocha was scheduled to fight Blair Cobbs in a welterweight bout on the undercard.

“We wish Vergil a very quick and speedy recovery,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “As fighters, our first instinct is to fight whatever we have and tough it out. It takes a lot of courage to admit that something is wrong and get the care that you need.

“We are confident that we will be seeing Vergil in the ring again very soon.”

Ortiz, who turns 24 on March 25, has stopped all 18 of his opponents. None has gone past eight rounds with him.

The Texan had hoped a victory over McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs) would be another step toward a shot at a major 147-pound title.

Fight Week: KO artists Vergil Ortiz, Edgar Berlanga return to ring

Fight Week: KO artists Vergil Ortiz and Edgar Berlanga return to ring on separate cards Saturday night.

FIGHT WEEK

KO artists Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Edgar Berlanga will try to stay undefeated on separate cards Saturday night.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs) vs. Michael McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, March 19
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: USC Galen Center, Los Angeles
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Welterweight
  • Rounds: 12
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Ortiz 8½-1 favorite
  • Also on the card: Alexis Rocha vs. Blair Cobbs, welterweights
  • Prediction: Ortiz KO 10
  • Background: Ortiz is staying busy until he receives his inevitable shot at a major 147-pound title. The 23-year-old Texan is coming off an impressive eighth-round knockout of Egidijus Kavaliauskas last August in Frisco, Texas. That was his seventh fight as a welterweight, a run that also includes consecutive victories over Brad Solomon, Samuel Vargas and Maurica Hooker. No opponent has gone past eight rounds against the former 140-pound titleholder. He’s ranked in the Top 4 by all four major sanctioning bodies, including No. 1 by the WBC (Errol Spence Jr.) and WBO (Terence Crawford). The unbeaten McKinson has an unusual record in that he has stopped only two of his 21 opponents. However, the 27-year-old southpaw from England is a good boxer and athlete with an excellent right jab. He also last fought in August, when he easily outpointed Przemyslaw Runowski in a 10-rounder in Brentwood, England. McKinson will be making his U.S. debut.

 

Edgar Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) vs. Steve Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, March 19
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Madison Square Garden Theater, New York
  • TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
  • Division: Super middleweight
  • Rounds: 10
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Xander Zayas vs. Quincy LaVallais, junior middleweights; John Bauza vs. Tony Luis, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Berlanga KO 10
  • Background: Berlanga got off to a remarkable start in his career, stopping his first 16 opponents in the first round, but he has looked human in his last two outings. Demond Nicholson took the 24-year-old New Yorker the eight-round distance in April of last year, although Berlanga won easily. Then, in his first 10-rounder last October, he survived a knockdown in Round 9 to win a unanimous-decision victory over surprisingly stubborn Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Berlanga is ranked No. 6 by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBA, meaning a title shot is on the horizon if he continues to win. Rolls might also test Berlanga. The 37-year-old Canadian is best known for getting blown out in four rounds by Gennadiy Golovkin – his only elite foe – in June 2019 but he’s a well-schooled boxer-puncher who should give Berlanga some resistance. Rolls rebounded from the loss to Triple-G by stopping Gilberto Perez dos Santos in January 2020 and Christopher Brooker this past December.

Also fighting this week:

THURSDAY

  • Cem Kilic (15-1, 10 KOs) of Germany will take on Antonio Hernandez (6-12-2, 4 KOs) of Kansas City, Kansas, in a super middleweight fight in Montebello, California (UFC Fight Pass).

SATURDAY

  • IBF flyweight titleholder Sunny Edwards (17-0, 4 KOs) of England will defend his title against Muhammad Waseem (12-1, 8 KOs) of Pakistan in Dubai (no U.S. TV). Also, Regis Prograis (26-1, 22 KOs) of New Orleans will face Tyrone McKenna (22-2-1, 6 KOs) of Northern Ireland in a junior welterweight fight.
  • Masamichi Yabuki (13-3, 12 KOs) of Japan will defend his WBC junior flyweight belt against countryman Kenshiro Teraji (18-1, 10 KOs) in Kyoto (no U.S. TV).
  • Yamileth Mercado (18-3, 5 KOs) of Mexico will defend her WBC junior featherweight title against countrywoman Zulina Munoz (53-4-2, 30 KOs) in Mexico (no U.S. TV).
  • Australian Sam Soliman (47-16-1, 19) will face countryman Jesse White (6-2, 0 KOs) in a middleweight bout in Melbourne, Australia (FITE).
  • Jacob Ng (15-0, 11 KOs) will take on Billy Dib (47-6, 27 KOs) in a lightweight battle of Australians in Broadbeach, Australia (FITE).