Liam’s Prospect Watch: Vergil Ortiz Jr

Liam’s Prospect Watch: Vergil Ortiz Jr

By Liam Lawer

It was an all-out Canelo show for this year’s Cinco de Mayo weekend, as the leading man of boxing repelled Danny Jacobs’ worthy challenge to his coveted throne.

Mature, and in the end convincing, it must yet be said that the golden boy did not meet his usual silver-screen standards. On reflection, perhaps the true star performance came from a lesser known cast member: Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Naturally, there were those who were aware of this prodigious talent before he cruelly disposed of Mauricio Herrera in May. There were many more who wondered how they had missed him to that point, as a fully-formed prospect seemed to spawn in front of their eyes. The immovable Herrera, who beat Danny Garcia on all but three scorecards, was stopped in the same number of rounds by a 21-year-old Texan kid.

Ortiz, born in Grand Prairie and residing in Dallas, so far carries a professional record of 13 wins, with 13 knockouts and no blemishes. Now that’s box office…

Going back to his amateur days, Ortiz cut his teeth in the junior leagues, winning the national championship seven times, alongside a victory at the 2013 Junior Olympics. Compiling a ledger of 140-20, he was more than ready to transition to the professional ranks in 2016.* Since then, he has beaten not only Mauricio Herrera, but 34(26)-4(3)-2 Roberto Ortiz, and former champion Juan Carlos Salgado 27(16)-9(4)-1, on his blistering path towards contender-ship. He stopped both opponents earlier than any man had previously. No scene setting here, he’s going in media res every time.**

Straddling between 140 and 147lbs, excitement surely awaits those who follow his burgeoning career. The former is a weight class filled with talent, but begging for a true superstar to emerge. The latter is a weight class rich with stars, made only better with each new, elite addition. Already promoted by Golden Boy, he also isn’t shy to back himself, even claiming that he can beat Keith Thurman.

However good he really is, it’ll be a lot of fun finding out, and we’ll find out more on August 10th; when he headlines a show in his hometown against top contender Antonio Orozco. The vacant and superfluous WBA Gold title is on the line, suggesting more importantly that a legitimate title shot beckons for the winner.

One further consideration, Ortiz Jr is trained by his father. Some of the highest highs and lowest lows of our great sport have been produced when a parent coaches their progeny. Let’s hope we get all the magic and none of the tragedy here. Regardless, the career of Vergil Ortiz Jr is already set to be a blockbuster, and we have only just watched the teaser trailer.

*Amateur statistics from the Golden Boy website.