By: Hans Themistode
Vergil Ortiz has continued to get better and better every time he steps foot inside the ring. As a result, his level of competition has continued to rise.
Recently, the Dallas native took on former 140-pound titlist, Maurice Hooker. Although he was considered a step up in competition, Ortiz took care of business in dominant fashion, stopping the former belt holder in the seventh round.
Next up for Ortiz, will be a showdown against Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas. The Lithuanian native is fresh off an eighth-round stoppage win over Mikael Zewski. Prior to that, Kavaliauskas suffered the first defeat of his career, via knockout in the ninth round against Terence Crawford in December of 2019.
While Kavaliauskas may have come up short, Brian “Bomac” McIntyre, head trainer of Crawford, was left incredibly impressed with his overall skills and durability.
In spite of Ortiz being pegged as a significant favorite, Bomac is going against the grain. Having watched Kavaliauskas up close and personal against whom he believes is the best fighter in the world, the long-time trainer is convinced that Ortiz doesn’t have a prayer to pull off the win.
“Mean Machine gonna beat the sh*t out of Vergil Ortiz,” said Bomac to a group of several reporters.
Ortiz, 23, has exploded onto the scene as of late. With each of his 17 career wins coming by way of knockout, he’s successfully navigated his way to the number one ranking in the WBO sanctioning bodies welterweight division. Currently, Crawford holds said title.
Regardless of his age, Ortiz has called for a showdown against Crawford as soon as possible. Another victory against a top contender could see Ortiz pushed to the mandated position. In the opinion of Bomac, however, the young budding star won’t get his crack at Crawford anytime soon. Not because he’s reluctant to place his pound-for-pound star in there with him but mainly because he believes Kavaliauskas will take care of business.
Not only does Bomac envision Crawford’s former opponent picking up the win, he ultimately expects him to do so in style.
“Probably stop him. I’m confident as hell. Mean Machine tough as sh*t.”