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Vergil Ortiz is adamant that his experience with a harrowing illness is now firmly behind him.
The hard-hitting welterweight contender from Texan was originally scheduled to face Michael McKinson of England in March, but Ortiz had to withdraw from their bout at the 11th hour because he fell dangerously ill. It turned out Ortiz was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious medical condition, and needed to be hospitalized, prompting rumors that Ortiz would no longer be able to make the welterweight limit.
Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs) will get back in the ring on August 6, once again against McKinson, in a welterweight bout.
The big puncher stated in a recent interview that he was feeling better than ever. Ortiz suggested that overtraining in camp leading to his original fight with McKinson was what led to his dalliance with rhabdomyolysis.
“My body feels amazing right now,” Ortiz told Fight Hub TV. “We took some time off after having… [rhabdomyolysis]. We took it slow this time. Even training back at home…we didn’t treat it as a camp.”
“I’ve been in the gym this whole time,” Ortiz continued. “If you think about it, that was like the main problem. October all the way to March – that’s really why the problem happened. Like I said we were still perfecting technique. I don’t feel any ring rust. We’ve been staying ready.”
Ortiz, 24, last fought in August of 2021, turning in an eight-round stoppage over Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who was arguably the toughest test of Ortiz’s career.
Ortiz, who is trained by his father and veteran Manny Robles, believes he will not miss a step the next time he steps into the ring due to the quality of his sparring.
“We’re getting in some good work,” Ortiz said. “I feel good. I know fights are different than sparring, but at the same time they’re really not.”