Ortiz Dominates Dulorme, Sets Sights on Tszyu Showdown
It was a swift and decisive victory for rising junior middleweight star Vergil Ortiz on Saturday night. The undefeated 23-year-old stopped former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme in the first round of their co-feature bout in Fresno, California.
Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) made quick work of Dulorme, registering his second first-round knockout of the year, having previously dispatched Fredrick Lawson in January. The clinical performance came amidst the buzz surrounding Ortiz’s next high-profile challenge – a showdown with fellow rising talent Tim Tszyu, slated for August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Although Tszyu suffered a narrow split-decision loss to Sebastian Fundora in his most recent outing, the young Australian is widely regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in the junior middleweight division. Understandably, the Ortiz-Tszyu clash has generated significant anticipation, with some already labeling it as the “real main event” over the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov headliner.
“Vergil always performs – no matter what, he never fails.” – Vergil Ortiz Sr., Ortiz’s father and trainer
Ortiz’s father and trainer, Vergil Sr., spoke about the pressure his son faced leading up to the Dulorme fight, given the high-stakes Tszyu bout on the horizon. However, the elder Ortiz emphasized that his son thrives under pressure.
Vergil Ortiz Sr. further elaborated on the making of the Tszyu fight, revealing that the proposal had come through him, and his son simply responded with an enthusiastic “yes.” The seasoned trainer expressed his belief that the impending clash will be a “man’s fight” – a contest of pure violence, which aligns perfectly with Ortiz’s punching power and aggressive in-ring style.
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