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Oscar De La Hoya predicts his fighter, WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr, will “steal the show” on the February 22 card by defeating ‘Little GGG’ Israil Madrimov in Riyadh.
De La Hoya believes Vergil Jr’s agility will allow him to handle the power of former WBA 154lb champion Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in their bout on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card.
Will Ortiz Jr. steal the show?
Oscar says this is a tough fight for Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) to kick off his grueling fight against Serhii Bohachuk on August 10. Vergil Jr, 26, was ejected twice in that fight, he took a lot of hard shots and was lucky to win.
The punishment Bohachuk’s last opponent, Ishmael Davis, took against him last Saturday night in Riyadh was nothing compared to what Ortiz Jr. absorbed last August. That’s why there are question marks whether Virgil the Younger can stand up to the might of Madrimov on February 22.
While he’s had time to recover from the beating he took from Bohachuk, he may not have enough to deal with a guy who hits just as hard, if not harder, than ‘Little GGG’. This is not a fight where Vergil Jr. he can count on out-maneuvering Madrymov as he did against Bohachuk in the last three rounds to pull out the win.
‘Little GGG’: Madrim’s power
“In style, it’s an uphill battle.” “Vergil is coming off a huge win against (Sergio) Bohachuk,” Oscar De La Hoya said Fight Hub TVtalking about how Vergil Ortiz Jr. defends his interim WBC middleweight title against Israil Madrimov next month on February 22 in Riyadh.
“So almost similar styles in a way. Madrimov has the better boxing IQ, but he punches hard like a mule (punches), and comes out ahead. It will be a very entertaining fight. Vergil Ortiz will steal the show that night.
“Vergel Ortiz is a very smart fighter. He knows exactly what to do in the ring. I’m sure he studies his opponents. “His corner and team are studying their opponents to make sure Virgil is in optimal conditions,” Oscar said.
Madrim’s style is completely different from Bohachuk’s, and not nearly the same. De La Hoya got it wrong, thinking they had similar styles.
Bohachuk is a relentless, high-volume puncher who never stops throwing. In contrast, Madrimov is a low-powered, high-powered boxer. Their similarities lie in their excellent punching power. Madrymov has better hand speed than Bohachuk, but not by much.
Madrimov lost his last fight to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision in 12 rounds on August 3 in Los Angeles. Madrymov made it through the final four rounds, but allowed Crawford to win by outplaying him.
He showed too much respect for Crawford and didn’t attack him as relentlessly as he should have. If you could have transplanted Bohachuk’s aggressive style into Madrymov in those last four rounds, he probably would have knocked Crawford out or, at the very least, put him on the run.
Bouncing back
Virgil Jr. had big problems against Bohachuk, falling in the first and eighth rounds. Ortiz Jr.’s win. by majority in 12 rounds on August 10 was controversial and hurt his popularity. What made it worse was that he didn’t give Bohachuk a rematch. It reinforced the opinion of the fans that Ortiz Jr. knew he lost and didn’t want to fight Serhi again, fearing the judges would correct him this time.
“Virgil is a very intelligent young man who knows how to take care of business.” He knows how to adapt. I think those adjustments in the first quarter of the fight and the first half of the fight will be very important,” De La Hoya said.
