‘I Would Love to Fight You’: What’s Next for Vergil Ortiz Jr.?

On Saturday, January 6, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20-0, 20 KOs) recorded a controversial first-round stoppage win against Fredrick “General Okunka” Lawson (30-4, 22 KOs) at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in an event that was streamed live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe. Ortiz backed up his pre-fight confidence, and attention now turns to who could be the next opponent for the Dallas-born fighter.

The Future for Vergil Ortiz Jr.

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Recap of Ortiz vs. Lawson

Ortiz Jr. started brightly despite his lengthy ring absence, firing off his jab with one jab buckling Lawson. The Ghanaian-born fighter backed into the corner as his American opponent began firing off a flurry of heavy punches to the body of Lawson. The punches from Ortiz were unanswered, but his opponent did not look in big trouble before referee Tony Weeks inexplicably jumped in to wave the fight off, much to the shock of Lawson and many at ringside and at home.

The crowd let their feelings known on the stoppage, by chanting: “Tony sucks! Tony sucks!”

Ortiz vs. Tim Tszyu

After the fight, Ortiz was asked about potential opponents and said: “There’s a lot of fighters that I want to fight and I know people would love to see this fight, so Tim Tszyu, with all respect, I would love to fight you,” Ortiz said of the Australian WBO light-middleweight champion.

Despite the premature stoppage, Oscar De La Hoya was eager to discuss what’s next for his fighter: “Tim Tszyu, anybody at 154,” De La Hoya said. “Ortiz will even go to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu.”

Other Options for Ortiz

Tszyu seems a viable option for Ortiz, but it remains to be seen if that’s next for the American fighter. Jermell Charlo is another titlist at 154lbs and a possible future option for the Dallas-born fighter. An interim fight before taking on a Tszyu or Charlo could be beneficial to get some more rounds, and fighters such as Brandon Cook, Jamal James (Normally fights at 147lbs), or Brian Mendoza would provide a test and give Ortiz valuable rounds before moving on to bigger fights.