Tag: Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Adrien Broner willing to end ‘retirement’ to face Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Adrien Broner indicated he might be willing to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. in spite of his retirement talk.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.

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Although Adrien Broner has said that he won’t return to a boxing ring for anything less than $10 million, he might be willing to come out of “retirement” for a fight against one of Golden Boy Promotions’ fastest-rising stars in Vergil Ortiz Jr.

And all it took was a post on Instagram to begin drumming up interest.

The image in the post is from six years ago, according to Ortiz. In his post, he says that he has always had a lot of respect for Broner since the former champion took a photo with him when Mike Tyson wouldn’t. Back then, Ortiz was a 16-year-old who was fresh off of winning his division in the 2013 Junior Olympics. Ortiz’s professional career has taken off since then. The now-22-year-old has amassed a 15-0 record, with all of his wins coming by way of knockout.

A showdown between Ortiz and Samuel Vargas in March was scrapped because COVID-19 shuttered the entire sports industry. As the boxing world begins to slowly inch its way back to a semblance of normalcy, Ortiz decided to take the time to pay Broner respect while also calling him out.

“Who would like to see this fight?” he asked.

At the time this article was published, the post had more than 7,000 likes and plenty of comments, with fans mostly offering favorable responses. Among them was Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya, who offered a simple comment in support of his fighter:

“Easy dinero.”

The reply caught the eye of Broner, who bristled in his response.

“Hell of a pic bro and I f–k with you too @vergilortiz. [B]ut @oscardelahoya I will come out of retirement and smoke yo boy since you co-signing pics and after the fight I got a ounce of soft for you. #StillAdjustingToFame,” he posted.

Broner, 30, is 0-2-1 in his last three fights dating to 2017. He remains a draw because of his antics outside the ring rather than his performance inside the squared circle. Despite his lack of success, Broner has given Premier Boxing Champions an ultimatum of paying him $10 million to get back into the ring or he’ll retire.

A fight between Broner and Ortiz is attractive but would be met with promotional politics. It’s not impossible, but it seems like nothing more than a pipe dream at the moment.

California cancels all cards in March; Kirkland vs. Hernandez postponed

California has canceled all combat sports cards until at least the end of March as a result of the coronavirus threat.

The growing coronavirus threat continues to force cancellations and postponements, including boxing in California throughout at least the end of March.

The California State Athletic Commission told all the state’s promoters that boxing and mixed martial arts cards have been banned through March 31 because of the virus, also called COVID-19.

“This morning, we were informed by the California State Athletic Commission that all combative sports events have been canceled for the month of March due to concerns regarding COVID-19,” Golden Boy Promotion Chairman Oscar De La Hoya said in a statement. “Therefore, our March 19 and March 28 events at Avalon Hollywood and the Forum, respectively, have officially been postponed.

“We will work with state and local officials as well as our venue and broadcast partners to determine the best course of action with respect to these and other upcoming events, both in California and elsewhere.”

“The health and safety of our fighters, fans, employees, officials and partners is of the utmost importance to us, and we thank them for their support and understanding during this time. We will communicate further plans when the time is appropriate.”

Golden Boy welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. was scheduled to face Samuel Vargas on March 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Golden Boy also had scheduled a card for March 19 at the Avalon Hollywood club featuring featherweight Joet Gonzalez against Chris Avalos.

It wasn’t clear Thursday when either would be re-scheduled. According to the statement, people who already purchased tickets, at the box office or on line, can get refunds.

The decision to ban boxing and MMA for the rest of the month was based on a directive from California Governor Gavin Newsom. In a statement, the CSAC said:

“Based on guidance issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to protect Californians against the possible spread of COVID-19, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is canceling all events through March 31. CSAC will use this period to determine the next steps for moving forward with future events.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued guidance that certain types of gatherings be postponed or canceled in March to protect public health and slow the rate of COVID-19 transmission. The recommendation applies to all nonessential professional, social, and community gatherings.”

At least two other cards were scheduled for March in California. A six-rounder between middleweights Quillisto Madera and Alexis Gaytan was scheduled for March 21 in Stockton. A Tom Loeffler-promoted card featuring Brian Ceballo vs. Brian Jones was scheduled for March 29 at The Avalon.

Across the country, a card featuring James Kirkland vs. Marcos Hernandez scheduled for Saturday in Maryland also was postponed because of the virus threat.

“In the interest of public health and after reviewing the current information on COVID-19, we have decided the best course of action is to postpone Saturday’s event,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “We understand how disappointing this is to boxing fans and regret any inconvenience.”

All ticket orders will be refunded.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. set to meet Samuel Vargas on March 28

Rising young star Vergil Ortiz Jr. will face veteran welterweight Samuel Vargas on March 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, California on DAZN.

He’s been called the future.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. will take another step in that direction with his first fight in 2020 against veteran welterweight Samuel Vargas on March 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, California on DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions announced Saturday.

“I’m excited to be returning against Samuel Vargas,” said Ortiz (15-0 15 KOs), a Dallas prospect who turns 22 on March 25, three days before opening bell. “He’s a tough fighter with a lot of experience, so I know that my talent and skills are going to be put to a tough test.

“I’m also happy to be fighting in Los Angeles at such a historic venue where many legends in the sport have fought. I love this city, and I love the people here, so I’m going to work very hard to perform to the best of my abilities.”

Vargas (31-5-2, 14 KOs), a Colombian living in Toronto, has a well-traveled resume that includes world-class experience in losses to Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and Luis Collazo.

“I have always taken the challenges that other fighters in the division don’t want, and that’s exactly what I’m doing again,” Vargas said. “Vergil Ortiz Jr. is one of the brightest young stars in boxing, but he hasn’t had to go through a war yet.

“I’ve shown that I’m willing to go through hell in that ring, so if Ortiz is everything he’s hyped up to be, he better be on point March 28 because I know I will.”