Vergil Ortiz can’t catch a break! After Australia’s Tim Tszyu had to pull out of the fight against 26-year-old Ortiz on Friday, an old clip from 2016 National Golden Gloves has surfaced online, where undefeated Frank Martin dropped Ortiz. This clip has resulted in Ortiz starting a back and forth with his schoolmate on social media. 

Ortiz was supposed to fight Tszyu on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles. However, after Tszyu’s exit, Serhii Bohachuk seems to be in the running for Tszyu’s replacement. There have also been talks of Ryan Garcia potentially facing Ortiz, but that’s unlikely to happen because of Garcia’s PED troubles. Nevertheless, Ortiz found himself in a squabble on X today!

Vergil Ortiz blames Frank Martin for tripping him 

Earlier today, a user shared the clip in question, which showed Martin dropping Ortiz with a straight left hand during their fight in 2016 National Golden Gloves at Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City. The fight ended up going in Martin’s favor, but it indeed was close as the three round bout was declared a split decision win for Martin.

So, reacting to this old clip, Ortiz wrote on X, “I know you guys clearly see him step behind my foot and me trip over it as I’m going back. [Y’all] are grasping for straws at this point”. An hour or so later, another user commented on the post, suggesting Ortiz was making excuses for losing, instead of taking his loss on the chin. 

This seems to have prompted a defensive response from the WBA gold welterweight champion, as he wrote back, “We all know you don’t like me for whatever reason”. He added that despite what the user thinks, he isn’t bothered about the biases. In response to Ortiz’s comment, the user explained that he doesn’t dislike him.

Contrary to accusations, the user clarified that he was merely highlighting events from the clip. Besides, the user revealed that they had attended school together and emphasized that the bout with Martin occurred during Ortiz’s amateur career, rendering it inconsequential. However, Ortiz wasn’t having any of it, as he accused his alleged schoolmate of lying. 

“The only problem I have with you as that you say lies about me being mean to you in school but I wasn’t mean to anyone lol idc if you don’t support me but I don’t tolerate blatant lying”, Ortiz wrote in response. Ortiz still seems down from his loss against Martin, but here’s why Tszyu had to drop out. 

Sebastian Fundora is to blame—sort of!

As of the time of writing, who Ortiz will fight is still up in the air! In the meantime, Tim’s promoter has blamed his last opponent for Tszyu’s surprise pull out from the fight. Tszyu faced off against Sebastian Fundora in March, but the decision was shocking and controversially favored Fundora. 

During the fight, Tszyu endured multiple cuts on his head, which many believe significantly contributed to his defeat. Nevertheless, as August 3 drew near, Tszyu was forced to withdraw from the fight based on the doctor’s instructions. According to a report from ESPN, George Rose, the CEO of No Limit Boxing, said, “We are bitterly disappointed with the setback, and Tim is extremely frustrated after a great pre-camp with Kostya”.

Rose explained that Tszyu was ready to fight through anything, like the warrior he has always been, evident from his fight against Fundora, but the decision was out of his hands. “Ultimately, it was his body and medical professionals telling him he wasn’t ready yet”, Rose added. 

Vergil Ortiz is facing difficulties as things have taken a turn for the worse in his boxing career. Nonetheless, his fans are yearning for his return to the boxing ring, where he can continue his undefeated reign. What were your thoughts on the video? Would the result of a fight between Frank Martin and Ortiz be the same if it happened today?