Saturday action: Ortiz, Beterbiev, Okolie score knockouts in dominant performances

Vergil Ortiz Jr., one of boxing’s rising stars, had a crowd of 5,584 on hand for his fight with Maurice Hooker on Saturday night, but two members of the audience were of special note because they hold three of the four welterweight world titles: pound-for-pound elites Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., who owns two belts.

Ortiz sent a powerful message to them that he is a force to be reckoned with in the 147-pound division they share as he took on his biggest challenge in former junior welterweight world titlist Hooker and aced the test.

In an all-Dallas battle, Ortiz and Hooker slugged it out in a fast-paced exciting battle but Ortiz, with a bigger punch, a better chin and sturdier legs, dominated before knocking Hooker out in the seventh round in the main event of a Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN at Dickies Arena in Forth Worth, Texas.

“I wanted to thank him for giving me this opportunity,” Ortiz said of his post-fight conversation with Hooker. “I wanted the fight at 140. I felt like I could beat him. You know what? He didn’t have to take this fight. I feel like I’m a problem at 147 and he didn’t have to take this fight in his first 147 fight, so I give him props.

“I felt like I did pretty good. There’s always room for improvement. I could have done a lot of things better. He was showing me was durable. He can definitely take a punch. He was smart. He was trying to get around my guard. But I just knew what to do.”

The 22-year-old Ortiz (17-0, 17 KOs) used a variety of punches to do damage — stiff left jabs that found a home on Hooker’s face often, solid body shots and hard right hands to the head, which is his best weapon.

Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), 33, was more than willing to engage in a firefight and had his moments as he marked up Ortiz’s face but took much more punishment in return.

“Vergil was in with a game Hooker. He passed the test and is ready for the top welterweights,” Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told Fight Freaks Unite in a text message.

There were several action-packed exchanges but Ortiz usually got the better of them, including in the fifth round when Ortiz landed a heavy body shot that forced Hooker to back into the ropes searching for a reprieve. After the round, he told trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre in the corner that he couldn’t breathe after getting hit with the punch.

Late in the sixth round, Ortiz dropped Hooker with a left uppercut-right hand combination. He got up at six and finished the round but he would soon be done for the night.

In the seventh round, Ortiz was all over him and landed a right hand that made Hooker take a step back before he seemingly melted to the canvas on his knees, having heard a “pop” in his right hand almost simultaneously to getting hit. He was down on the mat holding his right hand as referee Laurence Cole counted him out at 36 seconds.

“The game plan was to slow him down,” Ortiz said. “I knew he was going to want to box. I knew he wouldn’t want to stay inside. I neutralized his plans. I did think I would go the distance at some point in the fight. But, to be honest, the head shots weren’t hurting him. He can take a punch. I’m not gonna lie. That’s when I started investing into the body.”

According to CompuBox statistics, Ortiz landed 143 of 392 punches (37 percent) and Hooker connected with 100 of 465 (22 percent). Ortiz outlanded Hooker in all but one round and landed nearly as many power shots (96) as Hooker landed total punches.

“It was a good fight,” Hooker said. “I had been off for (15 months). Vergil is a good guy, a good fighter. I take my hat off to him. Everyone in Dallas won. He’s a good fighter, man.”

Ortiz, the 2019 prospect of the year, proclaimed that he is now ready for the big names in the star-studded welterweight division.

 “This win gives me more confidence,” he said. “I believe in myself even more now than ever that I am ready for a title shot. I would love the opportunity. I’m not going to call anyone a bum. I’m not like that at all. I respect every fighter that comes into this ring.”

He would like to fight Crawford, a stablemate of Hooker’s.

“Crawford is possibly the No. 1 boxer pound-for-pound in the world. Definitely top 2,” Ortiz said. “If they give me that opportunity – I’m looking at you ‘Bud.’ I’m looking at you. If he wants to make the fight I’m more that willing to do it. I don’t care if I’m ready. I want that fight.”

Hooker doesn’t think Ortiz was quite ready for Crawford but said he has a big future.

“Vergil is young and up-and-coming, but there are levels to this,” Hooker said. “He’s good. But he’s not ready for Terence Crawford. I’m being honest. He’s not ready. To be ready, he needs to just keep building himself up. He will be a world champion someday.”

Beterbiev knocks out Deines

Unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev had been out of the ring for 17 tumultuous months -- 519 days to be exact – in which he had his title defense postponed five times, faced an opponent change, dealt with a rib injury and even became ill with Covid-19, which forced the final postponement.

But when he finally returned to defend his belts for the fourth time Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KOs) turned in a dominating, workmanlike performance, scored two knockdowns and stopped Adam Deines (19-2-1, 10 KOs) in the 10th round in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at Megasport Arena in Moscow, Russia.

Beterbiev, who is based in Montreal and was fighting for the first time as a professional in his native country, dominated the fight from start to finish and set himself up for a three-belt unification fight later in the year against whomever wins the vacant WBO belt when Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov meet on April 10 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I wrote about Beterbiev’s knockout victory over Deines for The Ring magazine website. Please read the story here: https://www.ringtv.com/619464-artur-beterbiev-stops-adam-deines-in-10-rounds-to-put-oft-postponed-mandatory-behind-him/#.YFZ4SaOxajo.twitter

On the undercard, super middleweight up-and-comer Pavel Silyagin took it to Azizbek Abdugofurov and won a lopsided unanimous decision and a regional belt in a highly entertaining fight and welterweight contender Alexander Besputin easily stopped late replacement Viktor Plotnikov in the second round. I wrote also an undercard story for The Ring website. Please read that here: https://www.ringtv.com/619460-beterbiev-deines-undercard-pavel-silyagin-wins-lopsided-decision-over-azizbek-abdugofurov/

Okolie wins cruiserweight title

Lawrence Okolie turned in a near-flawless performance before knocking out former two-time cruiserweight world titlist Krzysztof Glowacki in the sixth round to win the vacant WBO cruiserweight belt in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London.

"I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” Okolie said. “I’m happy. For me, it’s more of a relief. The potential has been there for over a year. I’m happy to get the victory. Now and forever, I’ll be a world champion.”

The faster, longer Okolie (16-0, 13 KOs), 28, of England, dominated the fight, mainly with his jab, and barely took any punches of note.

He maintained control with the jab and mixed in a few right hands but none bigger than the clean one he landed in the sixth round that dropped Glowacki hard. Glowacki (31-3, 19 KOs), 34, a southpaw from Poland, who was coming off a 21-month layoff, barely beat the count but he was unsteady and turned away, forcing referee Marcus McDonnell to wave off the fight at 46 seconds.

"I was just really focused on putting on a good performance,” said Okolie, whose fight with Glowacki was originally slated for Dec. 12 but postponed because Glowacki tested positive for Covid-19. “I’m physically very strong and punch hard. I’m very fit, so I can win on just those attributes at a certain level. I really focused on not rushing any shots because he’s very dangerous with counter shots and he’s very heavy-handed. His jabs were very solid, so I had to be very meticulous in keeping the distance. It was a good clean performance.”

Ortiz-Hooker photo: Sye Williams/Golden Boy Promotions; Beterbiev-Deines photo: Top Rank; Okolie-Glowacki photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing