Tag: Ortiz vs Hooker

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz Jr. shines and more mandatory blues

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz Jr. shines and more mandatory blues.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU6TEiBpCFE

Vergil Ortiz Jr. moved to the next level on Saturday night.

It’s one thing to beat up on solid fighters like Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon and Samuel Vargas. It’s another to have your way with someone like Maurice Hooker, a talented former champion determined to find his place among the best welterweights.

Ortiz endured the toughest challenge of his career but in the end did to Hooker what he had done to all his previous opponents, scoring a brutal knockout in the seventh round.

The performance was impressive beyond his trademark pressure and power punching. I liked his ability to shift his focus to Hooker’s body after it became clear he couldn’t hurt him with shots to the head, although you wonder why he didn’t target the gut earlier.

And I think his defense is underappreciated. He slipped many of Hooker’s punches or caught them on his gloves.

That tells me he’s not just a strong, aggressive fighter; he’s evolving into a better all-around boxer under trainer Robert Garcia. And at only 22 he’s going to continue to improve over the next few years.

What’s next?

Terence Crawford has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Ortiz, although preliminary talks between the camps haven’t amounted to anything. And that’s fortunate for Ortiz, who probably isn’t ready for that type of challenge.

Hooker was a step up in opposition for him; Crawford is a giant step up from Hooker. Ortiz should take his time, gain more seasoning against good opposition and then take his shot at the top 147-pounders.

He’s almost there now. 2022 could be his breakout year.

***

BAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6JZOMy1EFU

Maurice Hooker isn’t a bad fighter. In fact, the opposite is true, as he demonstrated early in his entertaining fight with Ortiz.

The former 140-pound champion used his long jab fairly effectively, landed some clean power shots and showed a good chin against a big puncher. Indeed, he gave his fellow Texan a run for his money … until he didn’t.

Hooker was broken down by Ortiz’s body work and overall pressure by the middle the fight and simply couldn’t continue beyond Round 7.

He blamed an injured right hand – and we’ll take his word for it – but the beating he took from Ortiz also played a role. The injury might’ve been a blessing in disguise: It saved him from taking further punishment, which was on the way.

Hooker has now suffered brutal knockout losses in two of his past three fights, the first being a sixth-round stoppage against Jose Ramirez that cost him his 140-pound belt in 2019.

That doesn’t bode well in terms of his ambition to win a title at 147. He has ability but evidently not the resilience required to cope with bruisers like Ramirez and Ortiz, who make their livings by gradually chopping down their opponents.

Hooker obviously was frustrated after the fight. He responded to boos from his hometown fans during his post-fight interview by yelling, “F— y’all.”

Who knows? Maybe he’ll use the disappointment as motivation to prove people — including me — wrong.

***

WORSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUu9zbpWltA

We endured the latest example of the mandatory blues on Saturday.

Artur Beterbiev, the physically imposing light heavyweight titleholder, took on someone named Adam Deines who really had no business being in the ring with him. He survived nine-plus rounds on limited ability and an abundance of courage.

So how did he end up fighting Beterbiev?

First of all, the Russian-born German was ranked No. 5 by the IBF. He has some ability, but No. 5 in the world? C’mon. And, second, evidently no one ranked above him was available to fight Beterbiev. Thus, he became the mandatory challenger.

For the record, Beterbiev needed the work. He hadn’t fought in 17 months. And he probably was satisfied with a nice showcase in front of his home-country fans in Moscow.

That said, this is supposed to be the highest level of the sport. Beterbiev is on pound-for-pound lists. ESPN, which televised the fight, is supposed to be the big leagues. And fans were served up a mismatch.

It wasn’t as bad as Canelo Alvarez’s defense against another mandatory challenger, Avni Yildirim, but it wasn’t competitive.

The bigger problem is that fighters are putting too much emphasis on titles and not enough on the man who stands across the ring from them. We can’t expect every fight to be like Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez but we shouldn’t accept second-rate matchups like Beterbiev vs. Deines either.

RABBIT PUNCHES

A new cruiserweight star arrived on Saturday. Lawrence Okolie, facing the biggest test of his career, blew out veteran Krzysztof Glowacki (31-3, 19 KOs) in the sixth round to win the vacant WBO title at SSE Arena in London, Okolie’s hometown.

Okolie (16-0, 13 KOs) is 6-foot-5 and knows how to use his height and reach. He kept Glowacki used his jab to keep Glowacki at a safe distanced and set up hard, accurate power shots. The knockout punch – a straight right – left no doubt about the winner’s ability to hurt an opponent.

And the 2016 Olympian is remarkably quick for a man of his height, another reason he would be a difficult challenge to any 200-pounder and perhaps to heavyweights on day. …

Seneisa Estrada (20-0, 8 KOs) gave a strong performance against long-reigning strawweight champ Anabel Ortiz (31-4, 4 KOs) on the Ortiz-Hooker card, winning a near-shut decision and the WBA title.

Estrada deserves to be mentioned among the best female fighters in the world.

[lawrence-related id=18773,18769]

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz Jr. shines and more mandatory blues

Good, bad, worse: Vergil Ortiz Jr. shines and more mandatory blues.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU6TEiBpCFE

Vergil Ortiz Jr. moved to the next level on Saturday night.

It’s one thing to beat up on solid fighters like Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon and Samuel Vargas. It’s another to have your way with someone like Maurice Hooker, a talented former champion determined to find his place among the best welterweights.

Ortiz endured the toughest challenge of his career but in the end did to Hooker what he had done to all his previous opponents, scoring a brutal knockout in the seventh round.

The performance was impressive beyond his trademark pressure and power punching. I liked his ability to shift his focus to Hooker’s body after it became clear he couldn’t hurt him with shots to the head, although you wonder why he didn’t target the gut earlier.

And I think his defense is underappreciated. He slipped many of Hooker’s punches or caught them on his gloves.

That tells me he’s not just a strong, aggressive fighter; he’s evolving into a better all-around boxer under trainer Robert Garcia. And at only 22 he’s going to continue to improve over the next few years.

What’s next?

Terence Crawford has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Ortiz, although preliminary talks between the camps haven’t amounted to anything. And that’s fortunate for Ortiz, who probably isn’t ready for that type of challenge.

Hooker was a step up in opposition for him; Crawford is a giant step up from Hooker. Ortiz should take his time, gain more seasoning against good opposition and then take his shot at the top 147-pounders.

He’s almost there now. 2022 could be his breakout year.

***

BAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6JZOMy1EFU

Maurice Hooker isn’t a bad fighter. In fact, the opposite is true, as he demonstrated early in his entertaining fight with Ortiz.

The former 140-pound champion used his long jab fairly effectively, landed some clean power shots and showed a good chin against a big puncher. Indeed, he gave his fellow Texan a run for his money … until he didn’t.

Hooker was broken down by Ortiz’s body work and overall pressure by the middle the fight and simply couldn’t continue beyond Round 7.

He blamed an injured right hand – and we’ll take his word for it – but the beating he took from Ortiz also played a role. The injury might’ve been a blessing in disguise: It saved him from taking further punishment, which was on the way.

Hooker has now suffered brutal knockout losses in two of his past three fights, the first being a sixth-round stoppage against Jose Ramirez that cost him his 140-pound belt in 2019.

That doesn’t bode well in terms of his ambition to win a title at 147. He has ability but evidently not the resilience required to cope with bruisers like Ramirez and Ortiz, who make their livings by gradually chopping down their opponents.

Hooker obviously was frustrated after the fight. He responded to boos from his hometown fans during his post-fight interview by yelling, “F— y’all.”

Who knows? Maybe he’ll use the disappointment as motivation to prove people — including me — wrong.

***

WORSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUu9zbpWltA

We endured the latest example of the mandatory blues on Saturday.

Artur Beterbiev, the physically imposing light heavyweight titleholder, took on someone named Adam Deines who really had no business being in the ring with him. He survived nine-plus rounds on limited ability and an abundance of courage.

So how did he end up fighting Beterbiev?

First of all, the Russian-born German was ranked No. 5 by the IBF. He has some ability, but No. 5 in the world? C’mon. And, second, evidently no one ranked above him was available to fight Beterbiev. Thus, he became the mandatory challenger.

For the record, Beterbiev needed the work. He hadn’t fought in 17 months. And he probably was satisfied with a nice showcase in front of his home-country fans in Moscow.

That said, this is supposed to be the highest level of the sport. Beterbiev is on pound-for-pound lists. ESPN, which televised the fight, is supposed to be the big leagues. And fans were served up a mismatch.

It wasn’t as bad as Canelo Alvarez’s defense against another mandatory challenger, Avni Yildirim, but it wasn’t competitive.

The bigger problem is that fighters are putting too much emphasis on titles and not enough on the man who stands across the ring from them. We can’t expect every fight to be like Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez but we shouldn’t accept second-rate matchups like Beterbiev vs. Deines either.

RABBIT PUNCHES

A new cruiserweight star arrived on Saturday. Lawrence Okolie, facing the biggest test of his career, blew out veteran Krzysztof Glowacki (31-3, 19 KOs) in the sixth round to win the vacant WBO title at SSE Arena in London, Okolie’s hometown.

Okolie (16-0, 13 KOs) is 6-foot-5 and knows how to use his height and reach. He kept Glowacki used his jab to keep Glowacki at a safe distanced and set up hard, accurate power shots. The knockout punch – a straight right – left no doubt about the winner’s ability to hurt an opponent.

And the 2016 Olympian is remarkably quick for a man of his height, another reason he would be a difficult challenge to any 200-pounder and perhaps to heavyweights on day. …

Seneisa Estrada (20-0, 8 KOs) gave a strong performance against long-reigning strawweight champ Anabel Ortiz (31-4, 4 KOs) on the Ortiz-Hooker card, winning a near-shut decision and the WBA title.

Estrada deserves to be mentioned among the best female fighters in the world.

[lawrence-related id=18773,18769]

Vergil Ortiz Jr. breaks down, stops Maurice Hooker in Round 7

Vergil Ortiz broke down and then stopped Maurice Hooker in Round 7 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Better opponent, same result.

Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. received unfamiliar resistance from Maurice Hooker for a while but ultimately did what he has done in all his professional fights, stopping the former 140-pound titleholder in the seventh round Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ortiz has now stopped each of his 17 opponents. More important, he enhanced his credentials as a legitimate threat to any 147-pounder.

“This gives me more confidence,” Ortiz said. “I believe that I’m more ready for a title shot. Just whoever is willing to give me the opportunity.”

It looked at times early in the fight as if Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) might have what it takes to derail his fellow Texan’s plans.

He continually poked Ortiz with his long jab, landed some eye-catching power shots and showed a surprisingly strong chin given Ortiz’s power. The problem for Hooker is that Ortiz, relentless as ever, gradually wore him down.

Early in the fight, Ortiz focused on Hooker’s head and landed some big shots. However, they didn’t have the effect on Hooker that they’ve had on other opponents. What did Ortiz do? Shifted his focus to the body, which ultimately broke his opponent.

Ortiz acknowledged afterward that he thought Hooker might become the first to go the distance with him.

“To be honest, the head shots weren’t hurting him at all,” Ortiz said. “He could take a punch, I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t hurting him to the head, so that’s when I started investing in the body.”

The investment paid dividends quickly.

The body punches began to take a toll in Round 5, as Hooker started to slow down. In Round 6, Ortiz punctuated a flurry of punches with a left uppercut and straight right that put Hooker down with about 30 seconds to go in the round.

Then came the ending. Ortiz, in full attack mode, landed a barrage of shots that suddenly forced his beaten opponent to take a knee and give up. The official time was 36 seconds of Round 7.

Hooker indicated immediately that he had a hand injury, which evidently prevented him from continuing. He later said he felt something pop. Most observers would say that the beating he took from Ortiz also played a role in his demise.

Ortiz was leading on all three cards at the time of the stoppage: 60-53, 59-54 and 58-55. Boxing Junkie had it 59-54 for the winner.

The question now for Ortiz: Who’s next?

He generally won’t call out prospective opponents. However, two of them were at ringside: titleholders Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford. Spence is out. He’s expected to face Yordenis Ugas. Crawford has no scheduled opponent, which means anything is possible, but there have been no serious talks between Ortiz and him.

Ortiz was asked after the fight about the possibility of facing Crawford.

“I would love that opportunity,” he said. “… Crawford is possibly the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, definitely in the top two. If they give me that opportunity …”

Then Ortiz caught the eye of Crawford in the crowd.

“I’m looking at you, Bud, I’m looking at you,” he continued. “If you want to make this fight, I’m more than willing to do it.”

Ortiz had just recorded the biggest victory of his career against a former champion. However, he’s only 22 years old and has had only 17 bouts. Is he ready for a fighter of Crawford’s caliber?

“I don’t care if I’m ready or not,” he said, “I want that fight.”

In a preliminary bout, Seneisa Estrada (20-0, 8 KOs) defeated Anabel Ortiz (31-4, 4 KOs) by a one-sided unanimous decision to take Ortiz’s WBA strawweight title.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. breaks down, stops Maurice Hooker in Round 7

Vergil Ortiz broke down and then stopped Maurice Hooker in Round 7 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Better opponent, same result.

Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. received unfamiliar resistance from Maurice Hooker for a while but ultimately did what he has done in all his professional fights, stopping the former 140-pound titleholder in the seventh round Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ortiz has now stopped each of his 17 opponents. More important, he enhanced his credentials as a legitimate threat to any 147-pounder.

“This gives me more confidence,” Ortiz said. “I believe that I’m more ready for a title shot. Just whoever is willing to give me the opportunity.”

It looked at times early in the fight as if Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) might have what it takes to derail his fellow Texan’s plans.

He continually poked Ortiz with his long jab, landed some eye-catching power shots and showed a surprisingly strong chin given Ortiz’s power. The problem for Hooker is that Ortiz, relentless as ever, gradually wore him down.

Early in the fight, Ortiz focused on Hooker’s head and landed some big shots. However, they didn’t have the effect on Hooker that they’ve had on other opponents. What did Ortiz do? Shifted his focus to the body, which ultimately broke his opponent.

Ortiz acknowledged afterward that he thought Hooker might become the first to go the distance with him.

“To be honest, the head shots weren’t hurting him at all,” Ortiz said. “He could take a punch, I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t hurting him to the head, so that’s when I started investing in the body.”

The investment paid dividends quickly.

The body punches began to take a toll in Round 5, as Hooker started to slow down. In Round 6, Ortiz punctuated a flurry of punches with a left uppercut and straight right that put Hooker down with about 30 seconds to go in the round.

Then came the ending. Ortiz, in full attack mode, landed a barrage of shots that suddenly forced his beaten opponent to take a knee and give up. The official time was 36 seconds of Round 7.

Hooker indicated immediately that he had a hand injury, which evidently prevented him from continuing. He later said he felt something pop. Most observers would say that the beating he took from Ortiz also played a role in his demise.

Ortiz was leading on all three cards at the time of the stoppage: 60-53, 59-54 and 58-55. Boxing Junkie had it 59-54 for the winner.

The question now for Ortiz: Who’s next?

He generally won’t call out prospective opponents. However, two of them were at ringside: titleholders Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford. Spence is out. He’s expected to face Yordenis Ugas. Crawford has no scheduled opponent, which means anything is possible, but there have been no serious talks between Ortiz and him.

Ortiz was asked after the fight about the possibility of facing Crawford.

“I would love that opportunity,” he said. “… Crawford is possibly the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, definitely in the top two. If they give me that opportunity …”

Then Ortiz caught the eye of Crawford in the crowd.

“I’m looking at you, Bud, I’m looking at you,” he continued. “If you want to make this fight, I’m more than willing to do it.”

Ortiz had just recorded the biggest victory of his career against a former champion. However, he’s only 22 years old and has had only 17 bouts. Is he ready for a fighter of Crawford’s caliber?

“I don’t care if I’m ready or not,” he said, “I want that fight.”

In a preliminary bout, Seneisa Estrada (20-0, 8 KOs) defeated Anabel Ortiz (31-4, 4 KOs) by a one-sided unanimous decision to take Ortiz’s WBA strawweight title.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Maurice Hooker: time, how to watch, background

Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Maurice Hooker: time, how to watch, background.

KO artist Vergil Ortiz faces his toughest test in Maurice Hooker on saturday in fort worth, texas.

***

VERGIL ORTIZ JR. (16-0, 16 KOs)
VS. MAURICE HOOKER (27-1-3, 18 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UDtMBzCwsE

  • Date: Saturday, March 20
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Stream / TV: DAZN
  • Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually
  • Division: Welterweights (147 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Ortiz 8-1 favorite
  • Also on the card: Anabel Ortiz vs. Seniesa Estrada, strawweights (for Ortiz’s WBA title); Luis Hernandez vs. Alex Martin, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Ortiz UD
  • Background: Oritz, a 22-year-old contender, is developing into a legitimate challenger for the biggest names in a deep division. The gifted, bruising Dallas fighter has stopped all 16 of his opponents, including a seventh-round stoppage of Sammy Vargas last July. He has faced good fighters – Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon, Vargas – but Hooker represents a step up in opposition. The 31-year-old, also from Dallas, lost his 140-pound to Jose Ramirez by a sixth-round knockout in July 2019 but rebounded to stop Uriel Perez in one round five months later in his first welterweight fight. He hasn’t fought since then. Hooker is a capable boxer with decent power. He has victories over Terry Flanagan (to win his title), Alex Saucedo and Mikkel LesPierre.

[lawrence-related id=15628,12179,12137]

Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Maurice Hooker: time, how to watch, background

Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Maurice Hooker: time, how to watch, background.

KO artist Vergil Ortiz faces his toughest test in Maurice Hooker on saturday in fort worth, texas.

***

VERGIL ORTIZ JR. (16-0, 16 KOs)
VS. MAURICE HOOKER (27-1-3, 18 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UDtMBzCwsE

  • Date: Saturday, March 20
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Stream / TV: DAZN
  • Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually
  • Division: Welterweights (147 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Ortiz 8-1 favorite
  • Also on the card: Anabel Ortiz vs. Seniesa Estrada, strawweights (for Ortiz’s WBA title); Luis Hernandez vs. Alex Martin, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Ortiz UD
  • Background: Oritz, a 22-year-old contender, is developing into a legitimate challenger for the biggest names in a deep division. The gifted, bruising Dallas fighter has stopped all 16 of his opponents, including a seventh-round stoppage of Sammy Vargas last July. He has faced good fighters – Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon, Vargas – but Hooker represents a step up in opposition. The 31-year-old, also from Dallas, lost his 140-pound to Jose Ramirez by a sixth-round knockout in July 2019 but rebounded to stop Uriel Perez in one round five months later in his first welterweight fight. He hasn’t fought since then. Hooker is a capable boxer with decent power. He has victories over Terry Flanagan (to win his title), Alex Saucedo and Mikkel LesPierre.

[lawrence-related id=15628,12179,12137]

Vergil Ortiz Jr. knocking out opponents, waiting for his moment

Vergil Ortiz Jr. has knocked out one opponent after another as he pursues his dream of winning a world title.

Vergil Ortiz seems to have won over fans. Sixteen knockouts in 16 fights have a way of seizing your attention.

Ortiz’s peers are also taking notice of the 22-year-old welterweight contender from Dallas, who faces the toughest test of his career against Maurice Hooker this Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas (DAZN).

Shawn Porter, a 147-pound rival and straight-shooting broadcasting analyst, was asked on The PBC Podcast whether he’s impressed with any of the rising young stars in the division.

He quickly responded with two names: Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis.

“There are two guys in particular, Vergil Ortiz and Jarron Ennis, that are flat-out electrifying fighters,” said Porter, who has no stake in the career of either fighter. “They’re exciting in different ways … but they both have that ‘it’ factor.

“They’re both special fighters.”

Vergil Ortiz (left) maintained his knockout streak against Samuel Vargas in July of last year. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy

Mikey Garcia, the former four-division titleholder, works alongside Ortiz under the tutelage of trainer Robert Garcia, Mikey’s brother, at the famous Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, Calif.

The younger Garcia laid out his impressions of his stablemate in an interview with Boxing Junkie.

“He’s strong, very, very strong,” he said. “It’s easy to see and feel. I’ve sparred with him a few times. That makes him dangerous. And he’s very young, very hungry and very confident. He really believes in himself.

“You might be trying to box, trying to land a few shots against him and it doesn’t discourage him at all. It’s a combination of those things. And now he’s gaining more experience.

“He’s sparring some of the guys we have at the gym. He’s learning more defense, more reflexes, how to time your punches, your combinations. All of that is only making him a better fighter.”

Ortiz does believe in himself but he isn’t boastful.

He knows his opportunity to fight for a world title is coming soon – he has already had preliminary talks with the handlers of WBO champ Terence Crawford – but he takes a one-step-at-a-time approach to his career, especially at such a young age.

And he takes nothing and no one for granted, including Hooker, with whom he’s familiar because the former 140-pound titleholder also is from Dallas.

Ortiz has had his hand raised in all 16 of his professional fights. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy

“Hooker is the guy I have to beat to even think about fighting guys like Crawford,” Ortiz told Boxing Junkie. “This is definitely my toughest fight. He has a long reach (80 inches), he’s in his prime now. He’s like 31. It’s going to be a really good, tough fight.

“He’s been a world champion. You can’t a be a world champion without being a good fighter. Really, that’s all I have to say.”

Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) lost his title to Jose Ramirez by a sixth-round knockout in July 2019, the result of a big left hook to head and an explosive flurry of follow-up punches that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

Ortiz pointed out that the beginning of the end for Hooker was a hard left hook to the body that brought his right hand down moments before the shot to the head.

“He dropped his right hand and got caught with the hook. And that’s all she wrote,” said Ortiz, adding that Hooker will have learned from his mistakes. “That just means he’s not going to sit there the way he did with Jose. He’ll have a different game plan.”

The oddsmakers don’t give Hooker much of a chance: Ortiz is an 8-1 favorite, meaning he’s likely to have his hand raised regardless of his opponent’s strategy.

If that happens, Ortiz will then settle back into a waiting game he hopes will produce a fight against the likes of Crawford. He understands that matchmaking is a tricky game, particularly when prospective opponents are aligned with competing entities.

He also understands that he has to be patient and be ready when the he gets the call. And when it arrives, he certainly won’t say “no.”

How would he fare against such established champions Crawford, Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, the kings of a deep welterweight division? Mikey Garcia, for one, wouldn’t put anything past him in spite of his relative lack of experience.

“Look, when you’re young and you have the tools, experience isn’t quite as important sometimes,” he said. “When I fought Orlando Salido, he was the man at featherweight. He’d already fought the best fighters of that generation in that division.

“… I was an up-and-coming young fighter, 25 years old. But I had the skills. And when you have the skills, when you have the tools, experience isn’t as big a factor as people think.”

Vergil Ortiz, he reiterated, has the tools.

[lawrence-related id=18674,18661]

Vergil Ortiz Jr. knocking out opponents, waiting for his moment

Vergil Ortiz Jr. has knocked out one opponent after another as he pursues his dream of winning a world title.

Vergil Ortiz seems to have won over fans. Sixteen knockouts in 16 fights have a way of seizing your attention.

Ortiz’s peers are also taking notice of the 22-year-old welterweight contender from Dallas, who faces the toughest test of his career against Maurice Hooker this Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas (DAZN).

Shawn Porter, a 147-pound rival and straight-shooting broadcasting analyst, was asked on The PBC Podcast whether he’s impressed with any of the rising young stars in the division.

He quickly responded with two names: Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis.

“There are two guys in particular, Vergil Ortiz and Jarron Ennis, that are flat-out electrifying fighters,” said Porter, who has no stake in the career of either fighter. “They’re exciting in different ways … but they both have that ‘it’ factor.

“They’re both special fighters.”

Vergil Ortiz (left) maintained his knockout streak against Samuel Vargas in July of last year. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy

Mikey Garcia, the former four-division titleholder, works alongside Ortiz under the tutelage of trainer Robert Garcia, Mikey’s brother, at the famous Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, Calif.

The younger Garcia laid out his impressions of his stablemate in an interview with Boxing Junkie.

“He’s strong, very, very strong,” he said. “It’s easy to see and feel. I’ve sparred with him a few times. That makes him dangerous. And he’s very young, very hungry and very confident. He really believes in himself.

“You might be trying to box, trying to land a few shots against him and it doesn’t discourage him at all. It’s a combination of those things. And now he’s gaining more experience.

“He’s sparring some of the guys we have at the gym. He’s learning more defense, more reflexes, how to time your punches, your combinations. All of that is only making him a better fighter.”

Ortiz does believe in himself but he isn’t boastful.

He knows his opportunity to fight for a world title is coming soon – he has already had preliminary talks with the handlers of WBO champ Terence Crawford – but he takes a one-step-at-a-time approach to his career, especially at such a young age.

And he takes nothing and no one for granted, including Hooker, with whom he’s familiar because the former 140-pound titleholder also is from Dallas.

Ortiz has had his hand raised in all 16 of his professional fights. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy

“Hooker is the guy I have to beat to even think about fighting guys like Crawford,” Ortiz told Boxing Junkie. “This is definitely my toughest fight. He has a long reach (80 inches), he’s in his prime now. He’s like 31. It’s going to be a really good, tough fight.

“He’s been a world champion. You can’t a be a world champion without being a good fighter. Really, that’s all I have to say.”

Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) lost his title to Jose Ramirez by a sixth-round knockout in July 2019, the result of a big left hook to head and an explosive flurry of follow-up punches that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

Ortiz pointed out that the beginning of the end for Hooker was a hard left hook to the body that brought his right hand down moments before the shot to the head.

“He dropped his right hand and got caught with the hook. And that’s all she wrote,” said Ortiz, adding that Hooker will have learned from his mistakes. “That just means he’s not going to sit there the way he did with Jose. He’ll have a different game plan.”

The oddsmakers don’t give Hooker much of a chance: Ortiz is an 8-1 favorite, meaning he’s likely to have his hand raised regardless of his opponent’s strategy.

If that happens, Ortiz will then settle back into a waiting game he hopes will produce a fight against the likes of Crawford. He understands that matchmaking is a tricky game, particularly when prospective opponents are aligned with competing entities.

He also understands that he has to be patient and be ready when the he gets the call. And when it arrives, he certainly won’t say “no.”

How would he fare against such established champions Crawford, Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, the kings of a deep welterweight division? Mikey Garcia, for one, wouldn’t put anything past him in spite of his relative lack of experience.

“Look, when you’re young and you have the tools, experience isn’t quite as important sometimes,” he said. “When I fought Orlando Salido, he was the man at featherweight. He’d already fought the best fighters of that generation in that division.

“… I was an up-and-coming young fighter, 25 years old. But I had the skills. And when you have the skills, when you have the tools, experience isn’t as big a factor as people think.”

Vergil Ortiz, he reiterated, has the tools.

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