Posted on 10/04/2021
By: Hans Themistode
There’s a sense of annoyance that Vergil Ortiz Jr. is currently feeling.
At 23 years of age, the hard-hitting welterweight contender has stopped everyone placed in front of him. In what many considered step-up bouts against the likes of Maurice Hooker and Egidijus Kavaliauskas earlier this year, the Dallas native managed to pick up the stoppage victories.
While Ortiz Jr. isn’t opposed to facing another former champion or highly rated contender, he has his eyes set on facing WBA titleholder, Yordenis Ugas.
“I would love that fight,” said Ortiz Jr. during an interview with FightHype.com. “If we can get that fight next, I would love that. I don’t see why not, I’m basically right under him.”
Ortiz Jr.’s assertions that he’s under Ugas in the WBA rankings isn’t entirely off. Presently, he holds the number two position in the sanctioning body. But while Ortiz Jr. is foaming at the mouth for his first crack at a world title, Ugas currently has a jam-packed schedule.
Since picking up the biggest win of his career earlier this year against Manny Pacquiao, Ugas has been ordered to defend his world title against highly-rated contender Eimantas Stanionis. If Ugas were to walk away from their showdown with his championship status still intact, he would then be obligated to take on the winner between Jamal James, the WBA “Regular” champion, and mandatory challenger Radzhab Butaev.
In the meantime, Ortiz Jr. could be forced to go in another route to see his world title dreams realized. Or, he could opt to play the waiting game. Regardless of the direction Ortiz Jr. decides to go, in the end, a matchup with Ugas is one that he craves.
In terms of how things would ultimately unfold in the ring between the pair, Ortiz Jr. is unquestionably backing himself in their showdown. With that said, he isn’t willing to go as far as to predict how it would end. He does, however, expect fireworks.
“As far as how the fight would play out, I really don’t know but it would be an exciting fight. That’s the only thing that I’m for sure on.”