Ortiz Vs. Lawson Breakdown
Virgil Ortiz has his first fight over 147 against Frederick Lawson on January 6, 2024.
Ortiz returns after a big health scare in the run-up to his last scheduled fight with Eimantas Stanionis. Ortiz fainted in the build-up, which meant their welterweight clash was pulled. The boxer went to hospital. Ortiz decided to move up from 147. He has 19 wins, with 19 KOs, raising question marks over whether his power will be the same.
Lawson is on a good run of form. He has two wins on the bounce, and his previous fight was a victory over Estevan Villalobos. The win took his record to 30-33, with 22 stoppages. Here is a breakdown of what we can expect in the fight.
Ortiz Vs. Lawson
Ortiz’s primary asset is his punching power. He fights from a high guard out of the Robert Garcia gym. His last three wins showed he is not intimidated by being in the ring with big hitters. He knocked out Maurice Hooker in the seventh round, who had 18 stoppages in his 27 wins, showing he was a dangerous opponent.
Ortiz also has fast hand speed, often targeting the body of his opponents to slow them down. He fights on the front foot, which has made him the only other fighter alongside Artur Beterbiev to have a 100 per cent knockout rate.
His statement win against Juan Salgado Zambrano showed Ortiz’s greatness. He landed a huge shot to the body with a left hook that sent Juan Salgado Zambrano to the canvas, and the fight was over. Ortiz did the same against Mauricio Herrera with a huge right hand over the top, followed by a left hook. Herrera froze on the ropes as the referee stopped the fight.
Challenges
The test for Ortiz will be if Lawson can box and move around to prevent him from cutting the ring off. Ortiz’s fight with McKinson was competitive because his opponent could utilize his footwork to escape harm’s way. His ability to slip and evade punches was part of the plan to frustrate Ortiz, get him to come in and then knock him out.
McKinson landed the straight left down the pipe as he took the fight to Ortiz. Lawson could counter and tie up Ortiz when the fighter gets in close. Ortiz was cut above the eye, showing he was vulnerable. Ortiz adjusted, using his jab to close the distance before getting the stoppage. But with 22 knockouts, Lawson can test Ortiz, who is ultimately fighting above 147 for the first time. Lawson has fought above 147 before, which could be an advantage.
Pre-Fight Quotes
“I just want to give a quick shout out to to everyone who’s believed in me up until this point. First and foremost, my dad, my team, Coach Robert, Coach Hector, and everyone on Golden Boy. I put my heart into this sport. But now we’re here. We weigh in tomorrow. If you had any doubts on getting any tickets erase them right now because this fight is happening for sure. And I’m ready. This is honestly the best I’ve ever felt,” Ortiz
“First and foremost I would like to thank God. Thank you Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN who made this possible for us. We had a very good training camp leading up to this event. We’re prepared. We’ve seen a few scripts going around saying how this fight should go. We have a plan that will surprise everyone. We can’t wait for Saturday,” Lawson
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