Vergil Ortiz Jr. VS Michael McKinson: Who Will Stay At 100%?
FightersTalkTV.com – Someone has to let his ‘0’ go when two undefeated welterweight fighters, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Michael ‘The Problem’ McKinson square off at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, August 6. The pair who recorded a perfect win will face off in the 12-round fight for Ortiz Jr.’s WBO International Welterweight title.
Ortiz and McKinson were scheduled to meet in March, but during fight week Ortiz had to bow out after being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. McKinson remained on the show and defeated Alex Martin via unanimous decision. This victory makes him get his twenty-second of 22 fights.
While Ortiz Jr. retained his WBO International Welterweight title after defeating Egidijus Kavaliauskas by TKO a year ago. The 24-year-old Ortiz showcased a sharp jab that was used to largely control the aggression and finally dropped Kavaliauskas in a second before the eight rounds ended. It becomes the eighteenth knockout strike of 18 fights for Ortiz who turned pro right six years ago.
Michael McKinson remained unbeaten with a dominant win over Alex Martin in March.
The 28-year-old McKinson realized that he is a huge underdog, but said this fight is the one to earn the place he believes he deserves. Even though he only has two knockouts, The Problem is a fighter who relies on his ability to outbox his opposition. He got twenty victories by decision, and that showed how precisely his punches hit the targets and how bold his defense was.
“I’m a fighter who doesn’t know how to lose, doesn’t know what it means. I’m very proud of that and Vergil hasn’t faced anyone like me. Undefeated fighters we are hungry, we are brave. But I’m built different, I can go to the opponents’ house and fight these young hungry guys and take their undefeateds,” McKinson told a media roundtable.
“Vergil Ortiz is 18 fights, zero losses and 18 knockouts. He’s being tipped to be a future pound-for-pound king and he’s ranked number one in the world by the WBO and WBC. There’s a lot of momentum and a lot of hype around him – and I’m here to end it all. I beat him and I’m the man – that’s how it is.
“A win over Vergil would change my life, everyone around me. It would change everything. Nothing has ever been given to me, nothing has ever been handed to me on a plate.
“A win over Vergil would change everything and so for me there is no other focus, I don’t look beyond that because this is like my world championship fight.”
Vergil Ortiz Doesn’t Care About the Record
The knockout streak of Ortiz could come to an end when he faces a British southpaw McKinson this Saturday night. Ortiz who has stopped all of his 18 opponents by knockout knows that his fabulous record is not a guarantee that can beat the skillful McKinson easily. And the WBA and WBO top rank couldn’t care less if it will end.
“As far as being concerned about keeping (my stoppage streak) alive, I’m not gonna lie, I really don’t care,” Ortiz said. “Ï always train to go the distance in every fight. I don’t go into the ring looking for the knockout. If the opportunity comes to finish the contest with a knockout, I will take it.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. stopped Egidijus Kavaliauskas by TKO in eight round last year.
“It’s a good thing and I’m grateful for having it. I’m kind of known for that and it’s like it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. It’s a blessing because people are like ‘oh, let’s watch him, he’s won all his fights by knockout’. But at the same time a lot of people only see me as some reckless punching machine that only goes in for the knockout [and] can’t think.
“That’s not the kind of fighter I am. If anything, a lot of my knockouts have come from me thinking and exploiting their weaknesses and stuff like that.
“So anyways, long story short, I’m not really worried about if I get a knockout this fight or not. I would like one but I’m not concerned about losing my knockout streak or anything like that.”
Ortiz fought twice last year, earning knockout victories over former world champion Maurice Hooker and former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas, before being sidelined for a year. As a result of the layoff the softly-spoken Ortiz has drifted from the forefront of the minds of boxing fans, but he plans to remedy that this weekend.
“If I start talking outside of the ring you’re gonna tell right away that that’s not the kind of person I am so I’m not gonna sit here and try to fake it and be someone that I’m not,” Ortiz said.
“I’m not good at doing that. I can do it if I want to but it’s gonna be pretty obvious that that’s not the kind of person I am so I’m just gonna stick to letting my fists do the talking, letting my skills pay the bills.”
Here is everything you need to know about Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson
The fight between Portsmouth pugilist Michael McKinson and Texan Vergil Ortiz Jr. will be one of the most interesting bouts in this month. The two fighters will put their perfect record on the line to show to the boxing fans who will stay on a 100 percent winning streak in the welterweight division.
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