Vergil Ortiz says this past generation of fighters have been ‘pretty soft’, looks to change that narrative

Highly touted welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz will be back in action this weekend as he takes on former junior lightweight titleholder Maurice Hooker, but he still has his eyes on some big fights that he hopes can get made. Speaking on a potential matchup against Terence Crawford, Ortiz says he would gladly take that fight if it’s offered to him, even if he would have to take less money than he otherwise would in order to make it happen.

Via RingTV:

“I’m not worried about the numbers,” he explained. “I’m not going to pass down the opportunity of a lifetime just because I want to get paid $2 million instead of $1 million.”

Ortiz would continue by saying that all these fighters want to be like Floyd Mayweather, who retired as an undefeated fight, making them also want keep their records intact — even if that means shying away from fights they could realistically lose.

“This past generation is pretty soft; I’m not gonna lie,” he added, “but I’m here to change all of that. This generation is different. We’re not going to sit here and make up excuses for why we can’t fight certain opponents or saying we aren’t ready. Those are dumb excuses.”

The 22-year-old fighter then pointed out a glaring discrepancy in the attitude of most fighters by asking how they can expect to make big money without taking on the biggest challenges, questioning if a number of these fighters aren’t really confident in their boxing ability. But if Ortiz is looking to buck the trend and set a new example for the current generation of fighters, more power to him.