Notebook: Vergil Ortiz focused on Dulorme with Tszyu looming
Ramos, Mielnicki bouts part of Canelo-Munguia prelims free on Prime; boxing artwork on display; Tellez wins easily; Broner splits from trainer; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Vergil Ortiz Jr., anxious to get active after a blood disorder and weight issues limited him to one fight in 2022 and none in 2023, finally returned in January when he moved up to junior middleweight and stopped Fredrick Lawson in the first round.
Now he is back in action after a relatively quick turnaround to face Thomas Dulorme in a 10-rounder in the co-feature of the Golden Boy card Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
But when Ortiz took the fight little did he know what might be next. But earlier this week his team made a deal for him for the biggest fight of his career.
As long as Ortiz defeats Dulorme — a massive underdog — and comes away without any major injuries, he will next fight Australian star and former WBO junior middleweight titlist Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs), 29, for the vacant WBA interim 154-pound belt on Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angles.
The fight is one of several significant bouts on the first boxing event in the United States backed by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, where his previous shows have taken place as part of the months-long Riyadh Season festival.
The Aug. 3 card is headlined by pound-for-pound king and unified welterweight champion Terence Crawford moving up to junior middleweight to challenge WBA titlist Israil Madrimov for his title.
The Tszyu-Ortiz winner would be the mandatory challenger for the Crawford-Madrimov winner, meaning Ortiz could eventually find himself fighting Crawford, an even bigger fight than one against Tszyu, in the not-too distant future.
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But the fight with Tszyu or the potential fight with Crawford, both highly significant and lucrative, will not be there for Ortiz without first dispatching Dulorme, and Ortiz (20-0, 20 KOs), 26, of Grand Prairie, Texas, is well aware of that.
“I’m not looking past this fight at all,” Ortiz said of Dulorme this week. ”I’ve been in the ring with this guy before. I know what he’s here to do. We’re just gonna do what I do best. We used to spar but this isn’t sparring.”
They sparred several years ago when Ortiz was fighting as a junior welterweight and Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs), 34, of Puerto Rico, who Crawford knocked out for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title in 2015, was still a contender.
Even though Dulorme has hit rough times, having gone 1-3 in his last four bouts and having not fought since July 2022, Ortiz said there is no way he would overlook him or be distracted by looming Tszyu fight.
“There’s no chance at all,” Ortiz said of looking past Dulorme. “I have to get through this fight first. Of course, it’s a big opportunity (to fight Tszyu). It’s only scheduled. I really don’t have any information outside of that but the information I know is that I have a fight Saturday against Thomas Dulorme. We’ve trained two hard months for this fight and that’s what I’m focused on.”
He said he has respect for Tszyu and they did have a polite exchange on social media. Tszyu, coming back after losing his title to Sebastian Fundora by blood-soaked split decision on March 30, preferred not to wait for a rematch he is owed by Fundora, who is out until at least November.
So, Tszyu quickly accepted the fight with Ortiz and wrote on social media, “FYI I don’t wait on no one. I create my own destiny. Get the job done this weekend Vergil Ortiz and we make a fight for the ages.”
Ortiz responded, “Don’t you worry — fight of the year loading.”
In the main event on Saturday, former unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez, who trains alongside Ortiz under trainer Robert Garcia, will be the huge crowd favorite in his home region when he faces former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs), 38, in a 12-rounder.
The fight will be the first for Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs), 31, of Avenal, California, in 13 months, since an 11th-round knockout of former lightweight titlist Richard Commey and his first since turning down a world title shot against Teofimo Lopez, parting ways with career-long promoter Top Rank and signing with Golden Boy.
“My goal is to get back on top and to get all those belts back,” Ramirez said. “I still feel like I am one of the best 140-pounders in the division. I plan on making a statement on Saturday.”
Canelo-Munguia prelims
Leading into the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia pay-per-view on May 4 (Prime Video PPV, DAZN PPV, PPV.com, 8 p.m., $89.99) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas there will be a pair of 10-round junior middleweight preliminary bouts for free on Prime Video beginning at 6 p.m.
Jesus Ramos (20-1, 16 KOs), 23, a southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona, will take on Johan Gonzalez (34-2, 33 KOs), 33, of Venezuela. In the opening bout Vito Mielnicki Jr. (17-1, 12 KOs), 21, of Roseland, New Jersey, will face Ronald Cruz (19-3-1, 12 KOs), 32, of Los Angeles.
Ramos, a heavily touted up-and-comer, is looking rebound from a controversial 12-round decision loss to Erickson Lubin in September on the Alvarez-Jermall Charlo pay-per-view.
“I’m excited to be back in the ring again,” Ramos said. “My team and I have been training hard to prepare for this fight. I have a tough opponent in Johan Gonzalez who’s hungry for a big opportunity, but I’m hungry too. I want to prove that I belong at the top of the division and I can’t wait to put on a great performance.”
Gonzalez has won three fights in a row since a 10-round decision loss to recent world title challenger Magomed Kurbanov in December 2022.
“I’m extremely motivated to be facing an opponent like Jesus Ramos, who has experience fighting on big cards like this,” Gonzalez said. “This is my chance to show my skills and announce myself on the biggest stage.”
Mielnicki has won nine fights in a row since an upset eight-round decision loss to James Martin in April 2021.
“My team and I are prepared for the best version of Ronald Cruz,” Mielnicki said. “I’m excited and blessed to be fighting on Prime Video for the first time.”
Tyson-Holyfield, De La Hoya art
Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Oscar De La Hoya are three of the most iconic and decorated boxers of their generations, and all three are in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Tyson and Holyfield were both undisputed heavyweight champions with multiple title reigns whose two fights against each other are among the most famous in history. But before they finally met for the first time in their 1996 classic, they were set to fight in a massively hyped bout in 1991 that was postponed because of a Tyson injury. It was ultimately canceled when Tyson was convicted of rape and sent to prison.
De La Hoya, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, went on to become the face of boxing and the most popular pay-per-view star of his time, engaging in numerous mega fights and winning 10 world titles in a then-record six weight classes.
Renowned art collector Ingo Wegerich has purchased the original drawing of Holyfield and Tyson that adorned the cover of the December 1991 Ring magazine and added it to his superb collection of boxing art. He also purchased the original LeRoy Neiman painting of De La Hoya that was used for the cover of the official program for his WBC welterweight title defense against Oba Carr in 1999.
Wegerich asked me to write about both Holyfield-Tyson and De La Hoya for his artwork website. He has a fabulous collection that I encourage every boxing fan — which obviously you are if you are reading Fight Freaks Unite — to check out. You can see collection here: https://wegerich-fineart.com/en/ingo-wegerich-fine-art-collection/.
Click here to see the original Holyfield-Tyson drawing and read what I wrote.
Click here to see the original Neiman painting of De La Hoya and read what I wrote.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked two fights on Saturday’s Golden Boy card on DAZN: Jose Ramirez against Rances Barthelemy in a junior welterweight bout between former titleholders and junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. versus Thomas Dulorme. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from Fresno, California, for Golden Boy’s card on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET): Jose Ramirez 141.8 pounds, Rances Barthelemy 142; Vergil Ortiz Jr. 155.6, Thomas Dulorme 154.6; Oscar Duarte 138, Joseph Diaz Jr. 137.6; Marlen Esparza 114, Gabriela Alaniz 111.2 (rematch, Esparza 2 pounds over, stripped of WBC/WBO/WBA women’s flyweight titles; Alaniz can win vacant belts); Raul Curiel 146.4, Jorge Marron Jr. 146.2; Brian Lua 132.4, Reynaldo Solis 132.6; Figo Gonzalez 118, Alejandro Robles 117.6.
Weights from Liverpool, England, for the Matchroom Boxing NXTGN prospect card on Saturday (DAZN, 2 p.m. ET): Peter McGrail 121.8 pounds, Marc Leach 121.2; Junaid Bostan 153.5, Jack Martin 151.9; Ste Clarke 161.3, Artjom Spatar 160.2; Beatriz Ferreira 134.8, Yanina del Carmen Lescano 134.4 (for vacant IBF women’s lightweight title); Joe McGrail 126.4, Ryan Walker 125.7; Hamza Uddin 115.3, Santiago San Eusebio 114.9; Maisey Rose Courtney 113.2, Giuseppina Di Stefano 1114.2; Frankie Stringer 136.2, Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira 133.5.
Junior middleweight Yoenis Tellez (8-0, 6 KOs), 23, a Cuba native fighting out of Stafford, Texas, where he is trained by Ronnie Shields, battered tough-as-nails Joseph Jackson (19-1, 15 KOs), 35, a Greensboro, North Carolina, club fighter, in a shutout decision (100-89 on all three scorecards) in the main event of MVP’s “Most Valuable Prospects” DAZN card on Friday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Tellez, who was on the Fight Freaks Unite top 15 prospects list for 2023, dropped Jackson hard with a left hook in the second round but he somehow survived.
On Thursday, promoter Don King announced that faded former four-division titlist Adrien Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs), 34, of Cincinnati, and newly signed Blair Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs), 34, of Las Vegas, would meet in a welterweight fight that would headline a June 7 card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. But Broner will go into his second bout since signing with King with a new trainer. He had been trained in South Florida by the renowned Kevin Cunningham, who brought him to King in the first place. However, they have parted ways, a source close to the situation told Fight Freaks Unite on Friday.
Former welterweight and junior welterweight titlist Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), 36, of Philadelphia, who has not fought since July 2022 and may not fight again, has founded Swift Promotions and will put on his first event June 15 at the Adrian Phillips Theater at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “I’ve wanted to start promoting for a couple of years and this is a great opportunity to showcase the top young talent in the Philadelphia area in addition to supporting the young Boricua prospects,” Garcia said. Philly heavyweight Sonny Conto (12-0, 9 KOs) fights Quintin Sumpter (7-2, 4 KOs), 35, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in the eight-round main event.
Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia announced he has signed Junior Younan (19-0-1, 11 KOs), 28, of Brooklyn, New York, who has bounced between super middleweight and light heavyweight. Younan was a standout amateur and turned pro with fanfare in 2013 and although he remains unbeaten, his career has not developed the way many thought it would. He has won six in a row since a 10-round split draw with Ronald Ellis in 2018 and is coming off an eight-round decision over journeyman Ramses Agaton in November. “We are very excited about signing Junior, who is extremely talented and blessed with fast hands and boxing aptitude,” DeGuardia said. “We plan to keep him busy and by the end of the year feel he will be ready for anyone in the (super middleweight) division. The fight we would love to make is with Edgar Berlanga, a true ‘Battle of Brooklyn.’”
Show and tell
You want significance? Atmosphere? And a great fight? Welcome to the epic heavyweight collision between then-world titleholder Anthony Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, and all-time great former unified and lineal champion Wladimir Klitschko, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist. They put on an absolute spectacle for the ages in one of the greatest events I have ever covered. The entire fight week was fantastic and the fight more than lived up to the expectations as they delivered a thrilling battle before a sold-out crowd of some 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London. Klitschko, a Hall of Famer with historic achievements, who retired after the fight rather than exercise his right to a rematch, left boxing fans wanting more. He got knocked down in the fifth round, dropped Joshua and nearly finished him in the sixth round but eventually succumbed to the much younger man, getting knocked down twice more and stopped in the 11th round.
It was an absolute privilege to cover the 2017 fight of the year at ringside. The entire fight week was something I will never forget. Joshua and Klitschko, who are friends, fought on April 29, 2017 — seven years ago on Monday. I have a few different posters from the fight in my collection, including the ones produced by HBO and Showtime, who both aired the bout. But this is the truly prized one. It’s an extremely rare site poster. There was no poster for sale at the fight but there was this limited edition site poster with a print run of 100 that was given to VIPs attending the bout. I was not a VIP, but I am a poster degenerate and resourceful and came home with two of them. Here is a poster in my collection and a photo of me at ringside on that unforgettable night (and, yes, that’s Evander Holyfield in front of me on the right).
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Photos: Ortiz and Ramirez: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McGrail-Leach: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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