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Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz is eager to get in the ring with former world champion Maurice Hooker on March 20th in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ortiz, unbeaten with 16, has knocked out every single opponent inside the distance.
Hooker has been out of the ring since December of 2019, when he bounced back from a July stoppage loss to Jose Ramirez.
Ortiz will have his own strategy in mind for the fight and makes it very clear that he’s not fixated on trying to replicate the performance that Ramirez put forth against Hooker.
“The work has been very strong and we are doing sparring with a lot of fighters. So I hope to reach the Hooker [fight] in the best possible form. A lot of people want to compare what José Carlos Ramirez did against him, because he knocked him out quickly. I don’t want to be compared, I’ll do it my way,” Ortiz told George Ebro.
Ortiz does caution that he’s not entering the fight with the goal of stopping Hooker inside the distance.
“People think I’m going to roll over everyone, but that’s not always the case. Someday I’m going to crash into someone I won’t be able to take down easily. I always go in with the mindset of winning, but not with the knockout. If I look for it, it may not come,” Ortiz said.
If everything goes his way, Ortiz believes a title fight will come in the near future.
“Yes, a fight for a world title is coming. Fortunately, if I get it right in this fight, a lot of doors will open for those big purse opportunities. I feel like, after this fight, that’s going to happen quickly,” Ortiz said.