Vergil Ortiz and Golden Boy Promotions are coming back.
Ortiz, the hot 22-year-old welterweight contender, is scheduled to face Samuel Vargas in a 12-round bout on July 24 at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, on DAZN. Golden Boy’s first card since the coronavirus pandemic took hold will take place behind closed doors.
Ortiz (15-0, 15 KOs) and Vargas (31-5-2, 14 KOs) were scheduled to meet on March 28 but the fight was canceled.
“I’m very thankful and excited to be headlining the first Golden Boy event after the quarantine,” Ortiz said. “I’m happy that it’s still with the same opponent, so basically we’re picking up where we left off. It’s going to be a tough fight, and it’ll be a great way to kick off the year for me.”
Ortiz had a breakout year in 2019, stopping in order Jesus Barrayan, Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco and Brad Solomon. The Solomon fight took place in December, meaning Ortiz will have been out of the ring for seven months.
Vargas is in the class of Ortiz’s last three opponents. The Toronto-based Colombian veteran has lost to Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and Luis Collazo over the past five years.
“I think that everything happens for a reason,” Vargas said. “I think this time off benefited me. I’m ready to upset the world. I believe I can come out with the win. The world is a weird place right now. The show will be different. There will be no fans, but I have no doubt I’m going to win.”
In the co-feature, lightweight prospect Hector Tanajara Jr. (19-0, 5 KOs) of San Antonio will take a step up in opposition when he faces two-time title challenger Mercito Gesta (32-3-3, 17 KOs) of the Philippines in a 10-round bout.
“I’m ready for the best of the division,” Tanajara said. “I want to be a world champion, and the only way to do that is to beat tough fighters like Mercito Gesta, who has challenged for a world title and is a southpaw with a lot of experience.
“Also, I’m very thankful to be fighting during this time. Boxing is slowly coming back, and I’m proud to be featured on the first Golden Boy card after the big hiatus.”
In preliminaries, Shane Mosley Jr. (15-3, 9 KOs) of Pomona, California, will make his Golden Boy debut against Jeremy Ramos (11-8, 2 KOs) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in an eight-round middleweight bout
Also, Seniesa Estrada (18-0, 7 KOs) of East Los Angeles, junior featherweight prospect Hector Valdez (12-0, 8 KOs) of Dallas and welterweight prospect Evan Sanchez (7-0, 6 KOs) of Parlier, California, will fight on the card. Their opponents have not been determined.
“Preparing our comeback hasn’t been easy, but we know that we have a responsibility to our fighters and our fans to stage high-level boxing events as soon as we possibly can,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “This card demonstrates our commitment to presenting competitive fights despite current circumstances as the future of boxing.”
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