Rising contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. will continue his journey up the welterweight ladder on March 28, 2020 against Samuel Vargas as the headline bout of a Golden Boy Promotions fight card at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California.
“I’m thankful to have one of the best promoters in the world. We’re a big family, and I’m very proud to be a part of Golden Boy Promotions. I train for every fight like I’m training for a world title. I don’t think I’m the most talented fighter in the room, but I do know that I work the hardest in the game right now,” said Ortiz Jr., (15-0, 15KO) who hails from Dallas, Texas.
Ortiz has knocked out three consecutive former world title contenders in Antonio Orozco, Mauricio Herrera and most recently Brad Solomon on December 13, 2019. All three fighters had never previously been stopped via KO.
Vargas, (31-5-2, 14KO) from Bogota, Colombia, is seen as a further step up in competition for Ortiz Jr., as Vargas has faced the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia and distance fights against Amir Khan and Luis Collazo.
“I’m open to fighting everyone. I’ve fought a lot of talented boxers have had great experience throughout the years. I’m confident and I’m ready. I’ve been training very well, and I’m excited for this fight. A huge shout out to my fans in Canada and Columbia who will be watching and supporting me.”
The undercard features Azat Hovhannisyan in his quest for a super bantamweight title shot and WBC light flyweight champion Seniesa Estrada; Estrada will fight at The Forum for the fifth time in her career.
“There’s a lot of great boxing history at the forum. A lot of famous world champions have fought at this venue, including Oscar De La Hoya, who made his debut back in 1992. This is a great card and all these fights are going to be exciting, especially Vergil Ortiz Jr., who is no longer a prospect but now a contender. He has captivated the world of boxing, and I hope for him to win a world title this year. Vergil has proved himself in the ring, but make no mistake Samuel Vargas is a dangerous fighter. Vergil needs to be able to beat a fighter like Vargas. This is a big test for Vergil. Vargas is going to challenge him, but this is what he needs to go through to win a world title,” said Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez.
Ortiz Jr. vs. Vargas is a 12-round fight for the WBA Gold Welterweight Title presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, March 28 at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.
