Vergil Ortiz vs Egidijus Kavaliauskas: What Could be on the Line?
For those who have seen him fight, it’s obvious that rising welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz (17-0, 17 KOs) is someone with star potential. He is arguably the best up-and-coming fighter within the Golden Boy Promotions stable.
Currently ranked number one by the WBO, the 23-year-old from Dallas, Texas has quickly shot up the world rankings. We now have an idea of who he may fight next.
According to Latino boxing source Espabox, in all likelihood, Ortiz will face former welterweight world title challenger, Egidijus Kavaliauskas (22-1-1, 18 KOs). Golden Boy tells them negotiations have been ongoing for weeks. All signs point towards the two men fighting each other on August 14 in the United States.
ONE STEP CLOSER
Here’s what makes this bout significant. Kavaliauskas is currently ranked number five at welterweight by the WBO. That would mean that their fight would be a WBO title eliminator. The winner would be the mandatory contender and put themselves in line to face champion, Terence “Bud” Crawford.
In his last fight, Ortiz took a step up in class as he stopped former WBO world super lightweight champion Maurice Hooker in seven rounds.
Kavaliauskas’ most noteworthy fight was a loss to Crawford in December of 2019. Though stopped in nine rounds, the 32-year-old from Kaunas, Lithuania, gave a good account of himself. Nicknamed “Mean Machine”, he forced Crawford to work hard and even stunned him at one point during the fight which many believe he should have been credited a knockdown. Although he would suffer the first defeat of his career, he still maintains the fifth position of the WBO rankings.
Look for Ortiz vs Kavaliauskas air on DAZN. On paper, Ortiz would be the favorite. However, the Lithuanian will be far from a pushover.
Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for further details.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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