The Shoemaker Bugle

By Monserrat Juarez

23-year-old welterweight boxer and rising star Vergil Ortiz, Jr. now has a perfect record of 17-0 with 17 knockouts, to go with his WBO International welterweight title, after his most recent victory on March 20 against Maurice Hooker in Fort Worth, Texas.

The fight went on until the 7th round. Throughout the fight, Ortiz landed more punches than Hooker did, and both fighters showed off their speed and endurance. Ortiz very much wanted to go the 12-round distance with Maurice Hooker. However, in the 7th round, Hooker took a knee as a result of an injury. Hooker said he twisted his hand as he was trying to get a punch in. The fight came to an abrupt end on a TKO on account of Hooker’s injury, and Ortiz kept his undefeated streak going.

After losing the boxing match against Ortiz, Hooker commented on his opponent’s skills and power inside the ring by saying that he believed Ortiz, Jr. is soon to become a champion in the boxing world.

It’s been a lifelong journey for Vergil Ortiz, Jr. At the age of 5, Ortiz began training with his father to become a boxer. Raised in Grand Prairie, Texas by his Mexican parents, he started boxing competitively at 8 years old and quickly surpassed his competitors in the ring.

As an amateur boxer, Ortiz had an impressive record, and his talent was quickly recognized by the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De la Hoya. In 2016, Vergil Ortiz signed with Golden Boy. Ortiz made his professional debut on July 30, 2016. Since his professional career took off, Ortiz has beaten every single one of his opponents by way of knockout.

Ortiz never even boxed beyond the 6th round until during a fight against Samuel Vargas on July 24, 2020. During the first few rounds, Ortiz used jabs with impressive accuracy. Throughout the fight, Ortiz was keeping Vargas at bay with his jabs. In the first round, Ortiz showed how effective he could be at finding new angles in the ring. He was able to get Vargas into a vulnerable position that left him exposed to Ortiz’s body shots. The fight came to a stop after Vargas received several hits to the body and head.