By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr of Dallas, Texas will be meeting Antonio Orozco of Los Angeles, California in Grand Prairie, Texas this Saturday, August 10th. The 10-round bout for the vacant WBA Welterweight Gold Title can be seen live in North America on DAZN. Ortiz last fought in May when he stopped Mauricio Herrera in the third round while Orozco beat Jose Luis Rodriguez by a 10-round unanimous decision in March.
Orozco fights out of San Diego and enters the fight with an impressive mark of 27-1 with 17 Ko’s. His only loss came at the hands of Jose Ramirez last September by unanimous decision in a shot at the WBC Super Lightweight Title. Orozco turned pro back in 2012 and has boxed 149 rounds since. He stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 70-inch reach. He isn’t really known as a knockout artist but does possess pretty good power with a current KO ratio of 59 per cent and he also owns a solid chin.
The 31-year-old Orozco has faced some decent opposition over the years with victories over Martin Honorio, Abner Lopez, Keandre Gibson, Miguel Acosta, Humberto Soto, Emmanuel Taylor, Steve Forbes, Miguel Angel Huerta, Ivan Hernandez and Jose Reynoso. His win over Gibson in April of 2017 was for the vacant NABC Super Lightweight Title and the vacant WBC-USNBC Super Lightweight crown. He’s also won the NABF Jr. Super Lightweight Title in the past.
Ortiz is one of the hottest prospects in boxing right now as the 21-year-old owns a perfect record of 13-0 with 13 Ko’s. His 100 per cent knockout record means he’s a feared puncher with excellent power. He turned pro in 2016 and has boxed 27 rounds since. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career by winning National Silver Gloves Titles from 2012 to 2014. He also won a National Under-17 Crown in 2013 and placed second a year later. In addition, he placed second at the 2016 National Golden Gloves Championships.
Since turning pro Ortiz has captured the vacant NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title. His biggest win came against Herrera, when he became the first man to stop him, and he’s also beaten the likes of Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Salgado, Roberto Ortiz and Jesus A Valdez Barrayan. Ortiz, who trains with Robert Garcia, stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 70-inch reach which gives him a three-inch edge in height over Orozco.
Prediction…
Orozco has faced better opposition as a pro and also enjoyed wins over Jessie Vargas and Javier Molina during his fine amateur career, but he’s facing somebody with tremendous one-punch knockout power in Ortiz, who has power in both hands. This is basically a hometown fight for Ortiz too and he’s 10 years younger than Orozco. This is a good test for Ortiz and I think it’s one he’ll pass.
