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Vergil Ortiz vs. Michael McKinson: Officially Announced For March 19, Galen Center
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BY RANDOM HITS
Published Fri Feb 04, 2022, 11:11 AM EST
It's now official, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas will make his 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.
“Firstly, I want to thank everyone behind securing me this opportunity,” said 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.”
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 Ortiz. “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.”
With a perfect knockout record, 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.
“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.”
Ranked #3 in the welterweight division by the WBO, 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.
“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.”
