Is Vergil Ortiz Jr on the Mend or is his Health in Dire Straits?
On March 15, rising welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr (18-0, 18 KO’s) turned 24 years old. Had everything gone according to plan, he would have also been celebrating his nineteenth professional victory. This is because Ortiz was scheduled to square-off with Michael McKinson in the belly of the USC Galen Center centered in Los Angeles, California. Their match was to be a DAZN main event. Before he could make it to the ring however, Ortiz would abruptly pulled out from the match.
It would later be revealed that the #1 WBO, #1 IBF, #2 WBA and #4 WBC ranked fighter was suffering from rhabdomyolysis. In the more extreme cases, this condition can result in permanent disability and even death. Naturally, it would come as a great relief to know that all was well with Ortiz Jr and his recent medical malady would soon be a blip in his rearview mirror. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
WHY SO TIGHT LIPPED?
On the pugilist’s birthday, his Golden Boy promotional company acknowledged his day and sent their well wishes. Yet, the caption would seem to suggest that the brass at GBP didn’t quite know the condition of Ortiz. The deep rooted skeptic in this scribe finds it hard to believe that Golden Boy has zero inside scoop on such a golden goose client.
Going a step further, if everything was up to snuff and heading in a beneficial direction, why not give an update to the public? When 3Kings Boxing reached out to Golden Boy, they were unable to provide any further detail on the situation. Even if GB didn’t know anything though, if all was well, why wouldn’t Team Ortiz make some kind of formal announcement? In the worst case scenario, things have become frightfully serious for Vergil Ortiz Jr and possibly his career is in jeopardy.
Or, perhaps Ortiz is recovering quicker than the X-Men’s Wolverine and simply has not put any thought into telling anyone outside of his internal circle anything, whatsoever. Both are just as likely in such a tricky situation as this. Of course, the public would love to be granted a definitive answer in this precarious time. Yet, in the end, it’s Vergil Ortiz Jr’s health and career in question and he has no obligation to explain or update anything. It would be nice though!
SO CLOSE
With his rankings, especially the premier WBO and IBF designations, Ortiz is in prime position to get fights with champions Errol Spence Jr (IBF, WBC), Yordenis Ugas (WBA) and Terence Crawford (WBO). Spence and Ugas are on the books for an April 16 unification bout. The winner will likely face Terence Crawford for undisputed.
This is all said to say, with his current position, Ortiz could realistically be two fights away from challenging for undisputed himself. This is why his current and future health are of such paramount importance. Whether positive or negative however, 3Kings Boxing will stay on the case until a definitive answer is discovered.
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By: Bakari Simpson
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