Twenty twenty-three was supposed to be the year of Vergil Ortiz Jr. Just like 2022, and 2021, and 2020.
Instead, we’re still waiting for the stars to align, the big fights to happen, and for the Texan to make it to the ring.
It shouldn’t be like this, especially not for an ultra-talented 25-year-old who actually wants to fight. But as his body betrayed him over the last few years through no fault of his own, he remains a question mark heading into what he hopes will be his first fight since August of 2022 when he faces Fredrick Lawson in Las Vegas this Saturday.
It’s the weekend’s big fight, and all eyes are on him, but not for the reasons expected when he was a hot prospect in 2019. The other big prospects around that time period have largely moved on.
Jaron Ennis, expected to be the Leonard to Ortiz’ Duran at 147 pounds, is 31-0 and the IBF welterweight champion. Daniel Dubois unsuccessfully challenged for Oleksandr Usyk’s world heavyweight titles, but a recent win over Jarrell Miller kept him in the mix. Israil Madrimov is the number one contender for Jermell Charlo’s WBA junior middleweight title, with Sadriddin Akhmedov the only member of the group in a holding pattern due to inactivity.
As for Ortiz, after a four fight, four win and four knockout year in 2019, he’s fought just four times since. He’s won each one, halting Samuel Vargas, Maurice Hooker, Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Michael McKinson, keeping his perfect 19-0 (19 KOs) record intact, but the fights were surrounded by a pair of bouts with COVID, then he was diagnosed with the life-threatening muscle condition rhabdomyolysis that ultimately led to two fights with WBA welterweight titleholder Eimantas Stanionis being scrapped.
The two were matched up for a third time last summer, but after fainting during his weight cut, Ortiz was pulled from the bout, leading to a continuation of his layoff and a move to 154 pounds, where he will debut this weekend with a point to make.
“Headlining my first card in Las Vegas after over a year of inactivity is just what I needed,” said Ortiz in the press release announcing the bout. “I am very motivated to put on a great show like I always do, and to show everyone that I’m still here.”
He’s still here, he’s still young, but is he still Vergil Ortiz Jr.? Saturday night’s main event shouldn’t give us those answers. Lawson has a 30-3 record that looks nice on paper, he’s on a two-fight winning streak since returning from his own two-year layoff in 2023, and Ghanaian fighters are known for their toughness. But he is 34 years old with all three of his losses coming by knockout at welterweight, not junior middleweight. In other words, he’s the right fighter at the right time for Ortiz.
But if Ortiz makes it to the ring at Virgin Hotels, picks up his victory and gets the fanbase excited again, what happens in the future remains the realm of question marks. Will his power translate to 154 pounds? How long will it take for him to recapture the rhythm he had before his health issues? If he shows signs of not being the same fighter, will Golden Boy rush him into a fight he’s not ready for?
Those are a bunch of intriguing questions for fight fans to ponder, especially with the likes of Charlo, Madrimov, Brian Mendoza and Tim Tszyu all lurking ahead. It’s not as appealing as Ortiz throwing hands with Ennis, but they’re all quality matchups, and those are just the fighters at the top. Add in Serhii Bohachuk, Charles Conwell, Erickson Lubin, Josh Kelly, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Jack Culcay, just to name a few, and a championship is within reach.
If he’s still Vergil Ortiz Jr. And though all the questions won’t be answered on Saturday, seeing him fire off his power shots under the tutelage of Robert Garcia once more with a crowd roaring in appreciation would be the perfect start to the year for the prospect turned contender turned question mark turned contender again.
And maybe, just maybe, 2024 will be Ortiz Jr’s year.