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Vergil Ortiz Jr. To Face Michael Mckinson For The WBO
International Welterweight Title Mar. 19 In LA
Undefeated knockout sensation, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18
KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas will make his grand return to
Los Angeles, when he faces off against the #3 WBO ranked,
undefeated welterweight Michael “The Problem” McKinson
(21-0, 2 KOs) of Portsmouth, Great Britain. The 12-round
fight for the WBO International Welterweight title will take
place at University of Southern California’s Galen Center in
Downtown Los Angeles, on Saturday, March 19 and will stream
live, worldwide, exclusively on DAZN.
“I am excited to return to Los Angeles, my home away from
home,” said Vergil Ortiz, Jr. “I have been training in
Southern California for my entire career and can’t wait to
put on a big show for all my SoCal fans. I am taking on an
undefeated, world-ranked opponent in McKinson, but I am
ready to show the world that I belong at the top of the
division and am ready for a world championship title shot.”
“Firstly, I want to thank everyone behind securing me this
opportunity,” said Michael McKinson. “It’s an opportunity of
a lifetime and I can’t wait to take America by storm. Vergil
Ortiz, Jr. is an unbelievable talent that’s captured the
eyes of everyone, but I’m about to come with a whole new box
of problems. This fight changes my life, but winning this
changes my future. This is huge for me, my family and
everyone around me, I’ll give it everything.”
With a perfect knockout record, Vergil Ortiz Jr. has rapidly
climbed the ranks of the welterweight division. He was most
recently seen in an entertaining and fantastic TKO victory
against the tough, world title contender Egidijus “Mean
Machine” Kavaliauskas in August 2021. The 23-year-old has
had an exciting career since his 2016 debut, knocking out
contenders like Antonio “Relentless” Orozco, Brad “King”
Solomon, and Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker. On March 19, Ortiz,
Jr. will be looking to keep his title, undefeated record,
and #1 ranking when he faces Michael McKinson at USC’s Galen
Center.
Ranked #3 in the welterweight division by the WBO, Michael
McKinson is an undefeated fighter ready to put his
undefeated record on the line to prove he has what it takes
to take over the #1 position in the division. Hailing from
Portsmouth, Great Britain, the 27-year-old has had an active
career capturing titles including the WBC International
Silver Welter Title and the WBO European and Global Welter
titles. Now, fighting in the U.S. for the first time,
McKinson will be looking to claim the WBO Intercontinental
Welterweight title from Vergil Ortiz, Jr. on March 19.
“Vergil Ortiz, Jr. is one of the most exciting welterweights
to watch in the sport today,” said Oscar De La Hoya,
Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “Since his professional
debut, Vergil put the world on notice with his incredible
punching power. Now, undefeated, with a perfect knockout
record, Vergil is ready to fight against the elite in the
division starting with the world ranked Michael McKinson.”
“I am so pleased to be able to deliver this fight for
Michael - it really is a life-changing opportunity in so
many ways,” said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director, Matchroom
Sport. “Michael has got the style to beat Vergil, who for me
is already a top five Welterweight in the world, a brilliant
and powerful fighter. There’s only certain styles that can
beat him, and Michael has a style to cause Vergil all sorts
of problems. The money is always important as it’s a tough
sport and you have to make every penny you can, but if
Michael beats Vergil, he goes on to make
multi-million-dollar purses.”
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