It’s fight week. Just five days remain before Vergil Ortiz Jr. steps in to defend his interim light middleweight title against Erickson Lubin. A lot depends on this fight, which will take place in Ortiz’s backyard in Texas. A win could potentially set up a title challenge against Sebastian Fundora. More significantly, the matchup everyone has been hankering for is against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. So, the 27-year-old is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for the upcoming showdown.

However, he has even greater reason to put his heart and soul into this fight. It seems detractors have begun showing a tendency to go berserk and pull Vergil Ortiz Jr. down by any means possible. But they might as well have picked the wrong tree to bark up. An intriguing development saw Ortiz Jr. rolling up his sleeves after a so-called critic made a slew of derogatory comments. The influence of social media on boxing has long been acknowledged, and it offers many benefits. Still, concerns arise when a few blatantly ignore certain boundaries.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. goes on the offensive against the offensive

Sharing a full screenshot of the interaction, including the account in question, Vergil Ortiz Jr. went full blast. Perhaps warning others who shared the user’s beliefs, he lashed out: “This is why at the end of the day I will always do what’s best for me!”

As far as expectations go, he said, “I stopped caring about what y’all said and what y’all think about me a long time ago,” he added. Clearly, the latest incident left a sour taste in his mouth as he took this particular fandom to task.

“The only thing that truly kills the love for the sport for me is the fans. Not all the fans, but the fans nonetheless,” he concluded. With comments like, “You getting KO and I hope you end up at the hospital,” it’s not hard to see why the interim 154-pound champion got so upset.

One needn’t look far to gauge how strained the relationship between icons and their fans can sometimes become.

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Under intense scrutiny for his exhibition fight against Jake Paul, which now seems in jeopardy due to fresh legal troubles, Gervonta Davis bawled out at fans and critics. “Why should I care? Why should I care what they think when y’all switch?” he asked before adding, “Somebody can have a bad day, and y’all switch on who y’all’s favorite fighter is or who this person is supposed to fight. Like y’all need to sit back and be fans and just enjoy the sport. Y’all even talk about people’s personal lives. Like when it comes to that?”

Fighters sometimes cross the line and post comments that may not sit well across various corners. But it goes without saying that the anonymity social media affords gives some people the liberty to say whatever comes to mind.

Some feel entitled to opine on who a fighter should face or when a bout should take place. “If the fighter chooses to go down a different route, for what could be any number of reasons, be it financially or simply a step sideways to go forwards, then the boxer is ridiculed and is then “ducking” another fighter,” a write-up by Jonathan Oxley on Fight Post UK mentioned eight years ago.

So, in light of the unsavory comments made against him, perhaps Vergil Ortiz made the right decision in calling them out. As it turned out, it didn’t take long before real fans rallied behind and expressed their support for the interim champion.

Why do you think some people cross the line and make unwarranted comments on social media?