Vergil Ortiz Jr. will have a complex puzzle to be resolved in its fight against the former WBA junior weight champion this Saturday, February 22, on the map of Turki Al-Sheikh in Riyadh. Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 Kos) has acquired a lot of experience in his recent fight against Terence Crawford, pushing the aging fighter to his physical limits in Los Angeles in a razor loss.
(Credit: Melina Pizano / Match)
Madrimov too qualified?
Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KB) will have to show more skills if he wants to keep his interim WBC title of 154 LB against the more gifted and powerful Madrimov. What could work against Vergil Jr, 26 is that he has just released an exhausting fight against Serhii Bohachuk on August 10 of last year, and now he jumps directly in an even more difficult match against Madrimov.
Although we have seen Vergil Jr. discover quickly and destroy the British boxer Michael McKinson in 2022, Madrimov is at a different level of this type. He has size, skills and Golovkin type powermaking him a great opponent.
Ortiz Jr. can’t just walk ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov on the way he made the frail and frail cutting and count on the spot. If he fights like that against Madrimov, he will be abandoned several times, as he did in his doubtful victory for the majority decision of 12 laps against Bohahuk. Let’s be honest. It was a loss For Vergil Ortiz Jr, but it was offered to the decision of the judges of Nevada. He was abandoned twice by Bohachuk and seemed to lose seven laps, which should have made a clear victory for the Ukrainian.
What aggravated the whole fiasco is that Autiz Jr. chose not to give him a revenge match. That said a lot about him. With the fight of Ortz-Madrimov on Saturday in Riyadh, Vergil Jr. cannot count on the judges to bail out it if the fight is close. He will have to fight much better than him against Bohachuk, and he faces a fighter more difficult to strike with better power at a time.
Ortiz Jr. needs plan B
If you have seen what Madrimov has done in Crawford’s face, you just know that the Vergil Jr. Easy to reach will absorb a lot of punishment in this competition if it is fighting as it normally. The primitive style with which Ortiz Jr. approached during his career will make him easy to prey to Madrimov, who dominates these types of combatants.
Vergil Jr. would have been forced to change his style a long time ago if he had fought better opposition and had been in competition at 154 since the start of his career. Ortiz Jr. will follow his old game book to try to surpass Madrimov, but if it does not work, he will need a Plan B strategy.
🔸🔸🔶 Israil Madrimov 🔶🔸🔸
Madrimov is the former WBA JMW champion, and his only defeat / lost his strap was no other than Bud Crawford.
Upon entering this fight, Crawford rose a sacred TKO / KO sequence, and Madrimov managed to go the 12th RDS with Bud.
Ortiz, … pic.twitter.com/fjrvwpssk0
– About this life (@Abouthatlifeko) February 16, 2025
Last update on 02/16/2025
