By: Hans Themistode
At this point, Maurice Hooker has lost track.
For most of his ten-year career, Hooker believes he has walked into the boxing ring with little to no one firmly in his corner. With undefeated knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. taking him on at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, tomorrow night, it neither surprises nor upsets him that he is considered a sizable underdog.
Despite being a former world champion, Hooker knows that many are banking on Ortiz Jr. to score the knockout win. In his opinion, however, those who doubt him may want to avoid watching what he does this Saturday night.
“I’m okay with it,” said Hooker during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Everybody overlooking me. I’m prepared for this and ready to go in there and upset a lot of people.”
Presently, Ortiz Jr. is pegged as one of the bright young stars in the sport of boxing. His 100% knockout ratio has positioned him as the number two contender in the WBO welterweight sanctioning body. Currently, pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford holds that title. Should he win, both Ortiz Jr. and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya, have expressed an interest in making that fight happen next.
Hooker, on the other hand, believes they are wasting their breath even mentioning a Crawford showdown. After spending a good portion of his training camp sparring and discussing a game plan with the aforementioned Crawford, Hooker maintains that Ortiz Jr. will never get his chance to face him.
Regardless of Hooker losing his 140-pound title to Jose Ramirez in 2019, he is under the impression that the best is still yet to come.
“I’m anxious man. I’m ready to get in there and show the world why I’m still one of the best in the world.”
While Hooker claims that he pays little to no attention to the odds, the Dallas, Texas product has a difficult time understanding their reasoning.
Granted, Ortiz Jr. has annihilated everyone he has walked into the ring with, including his most recent opponent, Samuel Vargas. Yet for Hooker, he has several key advantages, the most glaring of them all, a ten-inch reach.
That, paired with his experience at the world class level, has the former belt holder incredulous that most are giving him no shot at winning.
“My skills, height and everything. I have all the advantages. A lot of people are going to be upset.”