Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Rising prospect Ortiz faces a nice challenge on DAZN this week. Get the details here.
This weekend’s chief boxing attraction takes place on DAZN when Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (13-0; 13 KO) faces Antonio Orozco (28-1; 17 KO). Ortiz Jr. vs. Orozco takes place this Saturday, August 10 and airs live on DAZN with a fight time of 7:00 p.m. ET.
Vergil Ortiz, Jr.
- Pressure is on – Ortiz is the hyped prospect and the A side, and he’s getting his first real televised main event slot here. That’s a lot of pressure, and he’ll have to show he can manage it.
- On the rise – For Ortiz, momentum is a definite point in his favor. Last time out, he had a step-up against veteran Mauricio Herrera, who I thought would be a challenge. He wasn’t. Ortiz blew him away, stopping the tough Herrera in the 3rd. I said in the lead-up to that fight that the best prospects look great when stepping up, and Ortiz absolutely did.
- Perfect so far – 13 fights, 13 wins, 13 stoppages. Not much else to say, though it does come with a flip side…
- Limited ring time – Ortiz has been so efficient at stopping his opponent that it has perhaps created a problem for him. He’s never been past round 5, with almost all his fights ending in the first 3. So if there is a plan to take against him, it might be to pull him into deep waters and see how he does there.
Antonio Orozco
- Former prospect – While he never had the hype level of Ortiz, Orozco was a definite prospect at one point. He rode his momentum to a world title shot against Jose Ramirez last year, but lost that via lopsided division and has stalled out since.
- Current status? – Hard to know where Orozco stands today. The Ramirez fight was not a good showing, and his lone fight since was an easy rebound win over a fighter on a 4-4-1 streak at the time. Orozco took him to a decision.
- Decisions – Orozco hasn’t stopped a fighter with a winning record since the 22-19 Alejandro Barrera in Mexico in 2014. So there’s not a ton of punching power here. But it also means he knows how to take a fight to the end, which could be an advantage here.
What else is on the card?
- Joshua Franco (15-1-1; 7 KO) vs Oscar Negrete (18-2-1; 7 KO) – This is a trilogy fight, as these two have been locked against each other since last October. Their first was a split draw, followed by a split decision for Franco in April. Now, match #3, and on a bigger stage. That win snuck Franco into the Bantamweight top 10 at #10, and I would imagine the winner here keeps that spot. Should be a very fun fight.
Final Verdict
It’s tempting to talk yourself into all the reasons why Ortiz will struggle here. Main event pressure, Orozco will drag it out, he’s never been stopped, etc. But frankly, I don’t think any of that happens, and instead, Ortiz shows why he’s got the hype train behind him once again. Still, it should be a great opportunity to see an exciting prospect, plus a potential show-stealer in Franco vs. Negrete. Check this card out.
Prediction: Vergil Ortiz Jr., KO R5