Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs Antonio Orozco Preview & Prediction
(images: Golden Boy Promotions)
The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been extremely fortunate this summer. The city and surrounding suburbs have played host to stellar fight cards ranging from the “Listo” Gaitain backed Garcia Promotions event in Irving to Matchroom Boxing and Top Ranks Fight of the Year contender featuring Mighty Mo and Jose Ramirez in Arlington. Next up is the city of Grand Prairie as native Grand Prairian Vergil Ortiz Jr. takes his unblemished 13-0 (13 KO’s) record on the line against hard hitting “Relentless” Antonio Orozco 28-1 (17 KO’s). The guaranteed all action bout takes place Saturday August 10th at the Theater on Belt Line Rd. The action is brought to you by Golden Boy Promotions and will be available exclusively on DAZN.
Saturday will be a memorable night for rising super prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr., the Orozco match will mark his first headlining event at home. “It’s really exciting to be fighting in front of my fans and family”, stated Vergil Ortiz Jr. exclusively to LongLiveBoxing.com,” they don’t get this opportunity so I’m very happy.”
Antonio “Relentless” Orozco is equally game! “My manager called me and offered me this fight,” said Orozco at the kickoff press conference. “As soon as I heard the name, I didn’t hesitate. This is a big opportunity to showcase my skills and my Mexican Style. Honestly, I’m ready to derail the dreams of Vergil Ortiz Jr. On August 10th, I will remind everyone why I deserve another title shot!”
In true LongLiveBoxing.com fashion, I’ve emerged from my dungeon, aka my living room, having studied both fighters extensively to give you a comprehensive breakdown/preview and prediction. Read on!
(images: Golden Boy Promotions)
Vergil Ortiz Jr.
From: Grand Prairie, Dallas, TX
Record: 13-0 13 KO’s Height: 5’10’’
Reach: 70” Stance: Orthodox
STRENGTHS
Power: This one is glaringly obvious. Vergil Ortiz Jr. has secured a knockout in all 13 of his fights. More impressive, none of his fights have gone into the 6th round. The kid has dynamite in each hand!
Counter Right Hand: Vergil has a very lethal counter right hand. That punch opened up a nasty cut over Jesus A. Valdez’ left eye. It was also the counter right that stunned crafty veteran Mauricio Herrera late in the second round and dropped him. One round later another right ended Herreras streak of not being stopped in any of his fights.
Elite Sparring: Hailing from the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, Vergil has the luxury of elite sparring not available to most. By elite I mean the likes of Mikey Garcia, Brandon Rios, a prime Lucas Matthysse and current unified Champion Jose Ramirez have all sparred with Vergil. Iron sharpens Iron! Jose Ramirez is the lone blemish on Orozcos resume and because of it, trainer Robert Garcia is very familiar with Antonio Orozco.
WEAKNESSES
Inexperience: The total rounds of Orozcos last two fights almost equals the entirety of Vergils career! Vergil only has 27 rounds of live action under his belt! Without the live experience, fighters sometimes show how green they are. Which leads to my second point.
Telegraphs Punches: Vergil loves to dip his shoulders as he throws his power hooks. The advantage of that nets you Max Power, but as he dips a seasoned veteran can see the punch coming. At the elite levels, all you need is half a second of awareness to avoid said punches.
High Guard: For whatever reason, maybe it’s comfort, Vergil loves to start out with a very high guard. Both Valdez and Herrera had good amounts of success early on attacking Vergils body. He relaxes as the fight goes on but an excellent body puncher like Orozco can do serious damage early on.
(images: Golden Boy Promotions)
Antonio “Relentless” Orozco
From: San Diego, California
Record: 28-1 17 KO’s Height: 5’7’’
Reach: 70” Stance: Orthodox
STRENGTHS
Relentless: Antonio Orozco has earned every part of the “Relentless” nickname. He just keeps coming and has the heart to match it! Personally, I really enjoy watching his fights. Throwback warrior never in a boring fight. It sounds like a broken record, but his Mexican Style of fighting is very evident!
Chin: A huge part of the reason Orozco is very relentless is his chin. It’s made of granite! The shots he took in the very first round of his match versus Jose Ramirez is all you need to see as proof! Jose landed his bread and butter left hooks clean and Orozco kept coming! Jose eventually dropped him in the 3rd round but Orozco rose to not only finish the fight but make it very competitive albeit a clear decision loss.
Rounds: As I touched on with Vergil, Orozco has a total of 149 rounds of live in the ring experience. If my math is correct, that’s 122 more rounds than Vergil! While having elite sparring is fantastic, errors committed in practice can be fixed immediately. A bit different with 3 judges sitting ringside watching live.
WEAKNESSES
Defense: If you have a solid chin for everyone to formulate an opinion on, more than likely it means porous defense. Orozcos defense is very leaky. He seems to get overly excited leaving himself exposed and is very susceptible to feints.
Swings Wide/ Smothers Punches: Orozco at times can be very sloppy. A huge reason he was dropped in the Ramirez fight was how wide he attempted a left hook. Jose picked up on it and landed a straight counter right. Vergil Ortiz Jrs. right hand counter can end any fight. Orozco will need to punch with precision for any chance of winning!
DOES NOT USE HIS JAB!!!!: This one hits a nerve. Orozco is 28-1 and has done it without the use of a reliable jab. He is all power punches! Very Similar to James Kirkland, Alfredo Angulo and those type of brawlers. Without the use of a jab, Orozco puts himself in a huge disadvantage setting up his power punches. This bodes well for a straight shooter like Vergil Ortiz Jr.
(images: Golden Boy Promotions)
THE PICK
This has the making of a very entertaining fight. I can confidently say you will not be bored if you tune in! Orozco can bang and has shared the squared circle with solid opponents! Ultimately though, his own aggression will be his undoing. He stands in front of his rivals as he comes in with very little head movement. His fighting style is tailor made for a fast power puncher like Vergil Ortiz Jr. Golden Boy Matchmaker Robert Diaz will feel better after a tumultuous week for their promotional outfit. Look for Vergil to land at will with his patented counter right scoring major damage! Vergil Ortiz Jr by KO mid to late rounds!
Article written by:
Manuel “Hopper” Dominguez
@ManuelDStayTru