Vergil Ortiz Wants a High Stakes Clash With Tim Tszyu!
Next up for world-ranked junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) is an August 3 battle with former WBO 154-pound champion Tim “The Soul Taker” Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) in Los Angeles, California. Ortiz is beyond ecstatic about the fight, and he’s promising fireworks.
It was a quick night of work for Ortiz as he dispatched veteran Thomas Dulorme with a first-round knockout on April 27 in Fresno, California. A perfectly-timed left hook to the liver from Ortiz put Dulorme down for the count.
Ortiz was asked about his upcoming showdown during the post-fight interview. The native of Dallas, Texas, said the following:
“Hey Tim, man, I know you’re watching this fight right now. I’m ready for you, man. We’re ready. Let’s get ready for World War III. Let’s put on the best show for these folks, alright?”
READY FOR THE MOMENT
Many pundits have predicted stardom for Ortiz. But for the last couple of years, the Texan’s career has been stunted due to illness, which raised concerns for many in the boxing community.
However, with a move to 154 and now fully healthy, he believes that he’s going to dispose of all comers at junior middleweight. The fight against Tszyu is the kind of high-profile fight that the 26-year-old has been craving.
Tszyu is coming off a split-decision loss to Sebastian Fundora on March 30 in Las Vegas. Hungry to get back on top of the mountain in the division, The Soul Taker cannot afford a consecutive defeat.
The former champion and Ortiz prefer to fight on the front foot, have power in both hands and are excellent inside fighters. The ingredients are there for it to turn into a barnburner. Fighting on the undercard of the battle between reigning WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov and reining unified 147-pound champion Terence Crawford, Tszyu versus Ortiz could steal the show.
This upcoming battle comes with plenty of incentive. The WBA has ordered that the winner of Tszyu versus Ortiz face the winner of Madrimov and Crawford.
