Vergil Ortiz Jr is a hot prospect with a knockout ratio to match, and the 22 year old takes a marked step up in class against a man making a step-up in weight class in former WBO Super Lightweight champion, Maurice Hooker at Dickies Arena, Texas on Saturday night, live on DAZN.
Ortiz Jr (16-0, 16 KOs) has stopped all of his opponents thus far, and has been making gradual steps up in his last few outings, ahead of his clash with fellow Texan, Hooker for the vacant WBO International Welterweight title.
2019 saw four wins for the Grand Prairie resident, with Jesus Barrayan (RTD5), Mauricio Herrera (KO3), Antonio Oroczo (KO6) and Brad Soloman (KO5) all vanquished, and 2020 saw just one appearance, as he knocked out Samuel Vargas in seven in the summer.
In Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) it’s another step towards big fights for Ortiz, and it’s a chance for the 31-year-old to show he still harbours world title ambitions of his own.
‘Mighty Mo’ first came to prominence when he impressively took the vacant WBO ten stone belt in June 2018, travelling to Manchester to take an upset split decision win against Terry Flanagan, and he made two decent defences before suffering defeat in his attempts to unify.
WBC and WBO boss Jose Carlos Ramirez, who faces fellow unified titlist, Josh Taylor for the undisputed 140lbs crown on May 22, dropped Hooker in the opener before scoring a stoppage inside six rounds.
That was in July 2019, and Hooker was last out in December of the same year, weighing 144 pounds to stop Uriel Perez inside a round.
Prediction: This is a well-matched contest, and should be an entertaining one. Ortiz will look to extend his 100 percent knockout rate, but Hooker will give it his all, and give Ortiz things to think about. After a first half where he goes for an early finish, Ortiz should then settle into a rhythm, and claim a clear points win to remain unbeaten.
There’s world title action on the undercard, with Mexico’s Anabel Ortiz defending her WBA Minimumweight title against Californian, Seneisa Estrada.
Ortiz (31-3, 4 KOs) first became world champion way back in 2009, and has held the WBA crown since 2013, travelling to Japan to defeat Etsuko Tada via split decision. She has made eleven successful defences, and now faces a hungry unbeaten fighter in ‘Superbad’ Estrada.
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The 28-year-old has previously held the interim WBA belt at Flyweight, and drops down in weight to go for full honours here. Last time out, Estrada (19-0, 8 KOs) scored the fastest knockout in female boxing history, needing seven seconds to defend her WBC Silver Light Flyweight belt against Miranda Adkins.
World Title Bound! @SeniesaSuperbad talked it up with hometown neighbors @OscarDeLaHoya and @mariolopezviva ahead of her 1st ever World Title opportunity! #OrtizHooker pic.twitter.com/tsJA86Ni9j
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) March 17, 2021
Prediction: This could be a real close call, and I edge towards the experienced champion to retain in a tight points win.
In a ten rounder at Super Lightweight, heavy-handed Mexican, Luis Alberto Hernandez Ramos (21-0, 19 KOs) meets Alex Martin (15-3, 6 KOs), who hasn’t previously been stopped, as he defends his WBC Continental Americas Light Welterweight title.
Prediction: Ramos can change that trend by notching a win before halfway.
At Super Bantamweight, Hector Valdez (13-0, 8 KOs) should score a points win over eight against Alberto Torres (11-3-3, 4 KOs), who has previously been the distance with Angelo Leo.
A Cruiserweight six rounder sees Tristan Kalkreuth (7-0, 5 KOs) in action, and the Texan should halt Dustin Long (4-1-2, 4 KOs) inside the distance.
A Super Lightweight attraction over eight should see George Rincon (10-0, 7 KOs) remain unbeaten with a stoppage win against Luis Solis (25-11-4, 21 KOs), who has lost three of his last four.
Another ten rounder at Super Lightweight features Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (36-2-1, KO21), and the Argentine makes a ring return after 19 months away.
Lopez has won four on the bounce since an April 2017 split decision loss, and has stopped former fringe contenders, Pablo Cesar Cano and Breidis Prescott since that reverse. Here, he is matched against namesake, Jairo Lopez (27-11, 18 KOs), the experienced Mexican in the twilight of his career.
Prediction: Lopez is 6-5 in his last 11 outings, and was stopped by Luke Campbell in two back in 2017. With five of his 11 losses coming early, I don’t expect Jairo to hear the final bell here.
