Vergil Ortiz Jr set for July 24 return in California

Power-punching prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr, currently Oscar De La Hoya’s favorite due to the latter’s ongoing tiff with Ryan Garcia, will headline Golden Boy’s return to action on July 24th.

Though De La Hoya’s Instagram post does not go into specifics, saying that there are “more details to come,” The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire reports that Golden Boy “has moved to secure” that date at Indio, California’s Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

Ortiz (15-0, 15 KO) spent 2019 passing test after test, handing Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco, and Brad Solomon the first stoppage losses of their careers in decisive fashion. He was slated to kick off his 2020 campaign against Samuel Vargas on March 28th, only for the California State Athletic Commission to cancel all combat sports events in the state over coronavirus concerns.

If the event does go down at Fantasy Springs, it will mark Ortiz’s sixth time at the venue.

We’ll keep you posted as this event comes together and let you know whether “Kingry” gets a punitive spot on the undercard. In the meantime, a guy on YouTube put together seven minutes of Ortiz smashing people for your enjoyment.