Vergil Ortiz Jr.'s Stock Keeps Rising - Pound4Pound.com

Vergil Ortiz Jr.'s Stock Keeps Rising

By Albert Castillo
Photos: William Trillo

Golden Boy Productions put together one of its best cards at Fantasy Springs Casino and Resort in Indio California this past Friday night. In the main event Texan, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (15-0, 15 KO’s) remained perfect, destroying Brad Solomon of Douglasville, Georgia to retain the WBA Gold Welterweight Title.

Solomon is a top fighter and demonstrates excellent boxing skills featuring a pesky jab and good hand speed. However, Vergil Ortiz Jr. proved tonight that he is on another level and ready for the prime time. He fought a spectacular fight dropping Solomon in the fourth round with a stiff jab.

In the fifth he took the starch out of Solomon with a solid right hand that sank him into the corner. Solomon made the count but received two left bombs from Ortiz that dropped him again and the referee called the fight. Ortiz gets the win by knockout, remaining undefeated and ready for bigger and better fights.

Said Ortiz after the fight, “I shouldn’t be chasing on the ropes like that. He let his guard now. Luckily, I did throw the right punch and hurt him. I knew he would be a tough cookie to break. Luckily, I have a good team behind me and all my smarts. I felt I was very patient, and needed to pick it up, can’t lay low. I did a good job. I would say high B or A on this one.”

Former World Champion Puerto Rican fighter Alberto Machado (22-2, 18 KO’s) put down Ecuadorian pugilist Luis Porozo (14-2, 7 KO’s) three times in the second round with tremendous body shots, the last of which Porozo could not recover and was counted out at 2:59.

In the early going the wild swinging Porozo connected on a series of headshots, which stunned Machado. However, Porozo got careless in the second and got caught with a left hook to the body that dropped him to his knees.

After beating the count of ten Porozo ate another body shot and went down again. He needed to stay down at that point, but he got up at the count of ten and again Machado landed a body shot that made him take a knee for the third time and referee Thomas Taylor called a halt to the contest. Machado earns his 18th knockout and 22nd win.

Golden Boy’s Alexis Rocha (15-0, 10 KO’s) out of Santa Ana, CA, punished Mexican pugilist Roberto Valenzuela (17-2, 16 KO’s) with murderous left and right hooks to the body to maintain his World Boxing Council Americas Welterweight Title.

Rocha survived a second-round onslaught from Valenzuela after a left uppercut staggered Rocha. Valenzuela tried to go for the knockout by throwing nearly a hundred nonstop punches in which some landed and others didn't’. Rocha’s nose was bloodied and Valenzuela appeared to have punched himself out. Rocha recovered and finished the round strong with vicious body shots.

In the fourth round Rocha hurt Valenzuela with a left hook to the body that made Valenzuela wince. In the fifth Rocha continued with ferocious left and right body shots of which Valenzuela had no answer. Rocha finished the round in Valenzuela’s corner banging lefts and rights to his head.

As the bell rang Valenzuela turned to his corner, shook his head and said he was done. An extremely impressive win for Rocha, as he remains undefeated and garners his 10th knockout in 15 fights.

Rocha on his fight, “He caught me in the second round. I got lazy. It’s my fault. I started letting my hands go after the third, and then I kept hurting him. It was important that I finished the fight. It’s a learning experience.”

With a malevolent and focused countenance Indio’s Bektemir Melikuziev (4-0, 3 KO’s) picked apart Vaughn Alexander (15-4, 9 KO’s) to capture the vacant World Boxing Association Continental America’s Super Middleweight Title. Displaying masterful footwork Melikuziev threw combinations followed by a quick pivot to his right to avoid the right hand of Alexander.

It was effective, as Alexander may have only connected with less than a handful of right hands. Melikuziev was sticking and moving all night long. The result displayed on Alexander’s closed left eye. Alexander could not get off and never let his hands go.

Although Melikuziev fought strategically and connected with various combinations the fans wanted to see more action and a slight round of boos ensued in the last round. Melizukiev won every round pitching a perfect shutout. Judges scores; 100-90, 100–90, 100-90 across the board.

Hard hitting and undefeated Luis Feliciano defended and maintained his NABF Super Lightweight Title with a unanimous decision win over tough Herbert Acevedo. This brutal contest pitted two warriors in a toe-to-toe slugfest. They literally beat the stuffing out of each other.

In the third round Feliciano, out of Rancho Cucamonga, connected with two ferocious left hooks to the body. Acevedo showed distress and Feliciano followed up with a right left combination that wobbled Acevedo. Acevedo appeared dazed and after a few seconds took a knee. He made the ten count and tried to make a comeback.

Both fighters landed huge punches and both were marked with bruises and cuts. Feliciano proved to be just too strong for Los Angeles native, Acevedo. In the end Judges had it all for Feliciano who remains unbeaten in 14 fights. Judges scores – 100-89, 99-90, and 97-92. Post fight comment from Feliciano, “I give props to Herbert Acevedo. He’s a tough and rugged fighter. I thought he was out when I dropped him in the third round. I tried to get the finish, but he weathered the storm. I’m happy to finish the year with a win, and we are on to the next.”

Undefeated Ukrainian super welterweight Serhii Bohachuk (17-0, 17 KO’s) kept his perfect record intact by stopping Columbian Carlos Galvan at 1:40 of the fifth round. The quirky unorthodox Galvan proved to be a difficult target and gave Bohachuk fits for the first four rounds.

In the fifth Bohachuk caught Galvan with a left hook to the body that dropped him for the count of ten. Later in the round Bohachuk caught Galvan again with a left hook to the head and down went Galvan again. As soon as he got off the canvas beating the count Bohachuk caught Galvan with a body shot that put Galvan down for good.

Ferdinand “Lucky Boy” Kerobyan (13-1, 8 KO’s) of North Hollywood, CA needed no luck in dispatching Mexican fighter Fernando Carcamo (23-10-1, 18 KO’s).

A devastating right hand on the chin of Carcamo left him seeing stars and looking up at the ceiling as he lay on his back. With Carcamo writhing on the canvas Referee Ray Corona called the fight at 1:46 of the first round.

“This was a great victory. This was everything I imagined. A great birthday gift for myself!”

In the opening bout of the evening Erik Bazinyan (24-0, 198 KO’s) continued his winning ways by knocking out Saul Roman (45-14, 37KO’s) at :36 seconds of the third round. Stated Bazinyan, “I learned from fighting a veteran, someone with almost 60 fights. I tried to show my skills and fight my fight. The timing was right, so I got him out of there.”