Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz, revealed that his boxer has no issue with traveling across the ocean to challenge WBO world champion Tim Tszyu.
Last Saturday night in Las Vegas, Ortiz snapped a near two-year layoff with a first round stoppage of Fredrick Lawson.
In the aftermath, Ortiz called for a showdown with Tszyu.
Tszyu, a superstar in Australia, had a very big 2023 with victories over former world champion Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and WBC interim-beltholder Brian Mendoza. After Jermell Chalo moved up by two weight classes to challenge Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez last September, Tszyu – who held the interim-belt – was elevated to the status of full champion with the WBO.
Coincidently, there is talk of Tszyu returning to the ring on a March date in Las Vegas.
Regardless of the location, De La Hoya indicates that he’s very much open to having Ortiz fight Tszyu on Australian soil.
“Tim Tszyu, anybody at 154. Ortiz will even go to Australia and do it,” De La Hoya said. “I’ve got to do my homework and see who Tim’s promoter is, see what the situation is.
“We’ll take it from there. (But) whatever Team Vergil wants we’ll make happen. We’re behind him a thousand percent. Vergil is a fighter. One of those old school thinking fighters who, to be the best you have to beat the best. To be world champion, you travel the world.
“I think Vergil, right now, is the best fighter on the planet … at 154, at any weight class. And I strongly feel everyone is going to be searching for Vergil. And guess what? He’s right here. He made a statement … 20-0, 20 knockouts, who else has that? He’s the only fighter who is undefeated with 20 fights and 20 knockouts, that’s incredible.”