The upcoming welterweight young gun, Vergil Ortiz Jr. is all set to enter the boxing ring for the first time in 2021. He will confront the veteran, Maurice Hooker, for the vacant WBO international welterweight title in what fans expect to be a 12-round classic. Moreover, this bout will play a pivotal role in both their boxing stints, as the winner might just set himself up for a momentous world title shot.
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The duo is thrilled to take each other on, especially Hooker, as he’s keen to hand Ortiz Jr. his first ‘L’.
In fact, a few days back, he asserted that Ortiz Jr. hadn’t quite absorbed powerful punches in his previous fights. Hence, moving into this fight, Hooker would look to terrify his younger foe with his own power punches.
Recently, in an interview at The AK and Barak Show, the 22-year-old responded to ‘Mighty Mo’s claims in his own eccentric way.
He said, “I mean, what do I say to that! Basically, I am not gonna go in there to find out if I can take power or not. First of all, the whole point is to hit and not get hit. Second, I’ve been hit before and I’ve taken the shots pretty well.”
🎙️"I'm not going to go in there to find out if I can take power or not. The whole point is to hit and not get hit." -- @VergilOrtiz responds to Maurice Hooker's claims that he can't take a power shot 🔊 dazn.com/en-TW/news/box… @DAZNBoxing @BoxingwithAk @TheBoxingBully ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Furthermore, Ortiz Jr. added that he spars 168-pound fighters in his gym, and he’s well aware of his abilities to take a shot.
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Can Vergil Ortiz Jr. add another thunderous T/KO win to his name on Saturday?
Until now, Vergil Ortiz Jr. has fought 16 times, and in every fight, he’s smothered his fellow combatants via T/KO. This makes him a daunting force in the 147-pound roster and the sport in general.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 15: (R-L) Vergil Ortiz Jr. walks away after knocking down Roberto Ortiz with a right hand during their super lightweight fight at T-Mobile Arena on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Getty Images)
He has some exuberant skill sets in his arsenal to vanquish any and every opponent he faces. With crushing power and swift in-ring-movements, Ortiz Jr. will walk into the bout as an abrupt favorite.
He’s already expressed his keenness to fight for the world title. And a win over Maurice Hooker might just put him in line for the same. Given what’s at stake, it’ll be interesting to see how Ortiz Jr. approaches ‘Mighty Mo’ on Saturday.
Do you envision Vergil Ortiz Jr. crushing Maurice Hooker this weekend?