It looked like it was going to be a quick night for the undefeated knockout artist Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (14-0, 14 KO's) when he landed a
wicked left hook to the body of Antonio Orozco (28-2, 17 KO's) which made him whince in pain at the two minute mark of the first round.
Ortiz wasted no time with this opportunity and he fired a flurry of punches that backed up Orozco in the corner as the crowd was going crazy because they though it was over.
But Orozco went into defensive mode and he fought his way out of the corner like the veteran he is, who has twice as many fights as Ortiz. Having gone the distance with Jose Ramirez a year ago, it was evident that Orozco, who is ten years older than Ortiz, wasn't going to go out like that.
Also in the first round, Ortiz' counter punches were just as fast or faster than the ones that Orozco threw at him. With lightning speed in his punches, Ortiz was efficient and exact with every punch he landed.
As the round continued, the fans were shouting "Vergil, Vergil" as he doubled and tripled countered punches coming his way from Orozco. Toward the last few seconds of the first round, Orozco was able to get inside and land a short uppercut and an overhand right, but both were glancing punches.
This was the first time a boxing event was ever held at the Theater at Grand Prairie, the first time Ortiz was the main event attraction on a fight card and the first time he fought in his hometown of Grand Prairie, which is a suburb of Dallas, Texas.
To watch Ortiz feint his punches, to set up the next punch if and when his opponent makes a mistake is fun to watch, and to see him pull back a punch that he knew wasn't going to land is a testament to his boxing skills at such a young age.
In the second round, Ortiz' hand speed in both hands was evident as he threw his quick jab and shot the right hand right through the gloves of Orozco.
Coming into this fight, Ortiz and his team knew Orozco had gone the distance against junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. And speaking of Ramirez, Ortiz had sparred with Ramirez for his last fight, so he already knew what it was to be in the ring with him.
In this round, Orozco forced Ortiz against the ropes but Ortiz quickly fought his way off. At the end of the round, Orozco planted his feet as he backed up Ortiz on the ropes again as he was throwing very hard punches against the young Texan.
In round three, Orozco kept the pressure on Ortiz but he was met with the left swift jab of Ortiz as they traded punches in the middle of the ring. This time, Ortiz was letting his hands go as he threw a straight right hand down on the crouching Ortiz and followed it up with a left hook to the body.
The tough Orozco was holding his own, but Ortiz always seemed one punch ahead as he looked for the right punches to throw at the right moment. Body punches were being thrown by both fighters and each took them well and kept on punching.
In the middle of the third round, the crowd were chanting Ortiz's name as he connected with another good body punch on Orozco, which would take it's toll later on in the fight. Also in this round, Orozco was able to land a good left hook to the body on Ortiz as he had him on the ropes momentarily.
As the fight began in the fourth round, Ortiz came out with fists flying and bad intentions behind them, but Orozco defended well and let his hands go to the enjoyment of the sold out crowd on hand.
Having problems at junior welterweight, Orozco was fighting as welterweight for the first time and he appeared to be in a comfort zone, as he attempted to get in close against the taller Ortiz.
Ortiz caught Orozco with a short uppercut as he pressed the fight, but Orozco came back with a glancing overhand right to the head of Ortiz. Orozco was now trying to back up Ortiz but Ortiz maneuvered his way around the ring, and at the end of the round, Orozco was able to get in close and land a glancing right hand punch.
Going into the fifth round, a round Ortiz has never gone past, he was definitely the better counter puncher, but Orozco was able to land a leaping glancing forward left hook/uppercut at the beginning of the round.
Orozco then missed a dangerous right hand to the head of Ortiz, which if landed, might have caused some damage. But the calm and calculated Ortiz followed up by sticking several left jabs to the face of the oncoming Orozco.
In the beginning of the last part of the round, blood was seen trickling out of the nose of Ortiz, but he paid it no mind as he continued to jab Orozco. Ortiz then began to back up Orozco with numerous punches to the head and until the bell sounded.
It was now the sixth round, one Ortiz had never been in as a professional fighter and he showed no idea of slowing down. They both began throwing hard punches with bad intentions as they started the halfway point of this fight, but it was Ortiz who landed the first significant punch with a sharp left hook that knocked Orozco's head backward.
As they stood in the middle of the round, they almost had a clash of heads and the referee yelled at them to watch out, but neither fighter stopped punching. Right after that Ortiz landed a left hook to the jaw of the tough Orozco and then followed it up with a right hook.
To the enjoyment of the crowd, both were landing hard punches, but Ortiz was landing the better ones as they let their hands go.
Then Ortiz landed a huge left hook uppercut that made Orozco go to one knee as the crowd erupted. Orozco shook his head in disgust while still on one knee as the referee made the count. He stayed down with a veteran move until the last second and got right back up.
Ortiz then went after the stunned Orozco and landed a straight right hand through the gloves and continued with a barrage of left and right hands and Orozco took a knee for a second time.
Again, Orozco took every second of the count and got back up just before the referee counted ten to continue the fight.
Ortiz then landed four straight right hands to the head of Orozco and then landed a hard left hook that rocked Orozco and then he landed another right hand that buckled the knees of Orozco as the crowd went crazy.
As they stood in close together, Ortiz landed a huge left hook that dropped Orozco to the canvas for the last time. Orozco sat on the canvas for several minutes before he was able to stand up as the Grand Prairie fans stood on their feet for the hometown kid.
According to punch stats, Ortiz landed 157 punches to the 57 of Orozco, a percentage rate of 35% to 18% and and an almost even 300 punches by both fighters, although it appeared that a lot more punches were thrown. But it was the 50% of power punches against the 21% of Orozco that made the big difference and the ultimate knockout at the 2:16 mark of the final sixth round.
After the fight, when asked by Claudia Trejos, DAZN's ringside commentator, "If this was the statement he wanted to prove that he could be a champion, the humble Ortiz said "Im gonna be honest, I didn't like the way I did in the fight, the first three or four rounds, I could have done a little better." And for a fighter who just got a KO with a great performance against a tough fighter like Orozco, it is saying a lot about his character.
At the backstage press conference, Ortiz made the following quotes:
"This was definitely the hardest fight of my career, I'm gonna learn a lot from this fight. When I caught him with that punch in the first round and then I hurt him again I got a little over excited and I said I have to go for it, and I went after him but I still knew he was a dangerous fighter, so I'm gonna learn from this. A lot of fighters were not taking this kind of fight at their fourteenth fight and I am very proud of this."
When asked about where this puts him in the top welterweights he laughed and said "I don't know, but I hope it is high.'
About fighting Errol Spence he said, "I don't think I will be fighting Errol at 147, it will probably be at 154 after I have 24 or 25 fights, that is a super fight that will definitely be happening here in Dallas." I am very happy that he showed up tonight, it means a lot to me.
As for Orozco, and how tough he is, he said "Man, I'm not going to be able to write for a few days, my hands hurt right now and he can take a freaking punch!"
As for the Thurmans, Porters and Danny Garcia's, he said "Those fights can happen next year, depending how things go, I believe I will be ready when the time comes, and if they man up and let a fighter with only fourteen or fifteen fights get in the ring with them, I will be happy to take those fights."
"I expected to get him out of there, but I didn't know exactly when it would come, but I was going to take the chance. I do not know if my next fight will be in Dallas, but I will definitely be fighting again this year."
