18 KOs from 18 wins – Vergil Ortiz Jr marches on
Vergil Ortiz Jr continued his incredible winning streaks as he retained his WBO International welterweight title with a stoppage win over Egidijus 'Mean Machine' Kavaliauskas.
The fight took place at the The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN, with 23-year-old rising star Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs) once again at his ruthless best as he moved a step closer to a shot at a world title.
Managed by Rick Mirigian, Ortiz knocked down world title contender Kavaliaskas and pursued him aggressively in round three, before a frightening display in round eight, dominating Kavaliauskas and dropping him four times to win the fight by knockout. The Texan managed to stop the Lithuanian one round earlier than P4P superstar Terence Crawford, who KO'd Kavaliauskas in round nine of their December 2019 WBO World welterweight title fight.
Ortiz said: “I feel good. The fight started off slow in my opinion and I just had to adjust. After the second round, I had to adjust and try to find a way to wear him down.
“I started using my jab more and fought more intelligently. After the third round, I felt more confident because I knew that I could control the fight moving forward. But he is a tough guy, a very strong fighter, and I respect that he came to fight.”
The fearsome 147-pounder is now ranked at WBO #1; WBC #4; IBF #15; and is the current WBA Gold and WBO International welterweight champion.
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