Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Samuel Vargas fight prediction, card, odds, start time, stream boxing on DAZN
A rising welterweight prospect in Ortiz will help welcome Golden Boy Promotions back into action on Friday night
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4 min read
As he sat at home and waited throughout the coronavirus quarantine, unbeaten welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. admits, like most of us, he had trouble finding inner peace amid all the uncertainty.
"When I was stuck at home, I felt kind of lost," Ortiz told CBS Sports' "State of Combat" podcast this week. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do other than stay ready. But even staying ready and not knowing when you are going to fight was kind of making me anxious."
Ortiz (15-0, 15 KOs) saw his spirits pick up immediately upon finding out he would be headlining the first card back this Friday (8 p.m. ET, DAZN) for both Golden Boy Promotions and the streaming app DAZN since the pandemic began in the United States in March. A native of Dallas, the 22-year-old Ortiz will square off with Samuel Vargas (31-5-2, 14 KOs) in a welterweight feature inside an empty Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
As one of the brightest future stars in the game, Ortiz was happy with the placement he was given as essentially the poster boy for boxing's return for both his promoter and streaming service. But it's clear that Golden Boy's initial choice was to return on a blowout July 4 card featuring popular lightweight Ryan Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) as the centerpiece. Garcia, however, went on to balk at the terms of his purse offer and begin a very public feud with Golden Boy founder and Hall-of-Fame fighter Oscar De La Hoya.
"I can say that I really relate, to be honest," Ortiz said of Garcia. "I feel like Golden Boy has treated me pretty fair, and as long as I do what i'm supposed to do, they are going to treat me good. I don't know what is going on in other camps, so I really can't speak about them."
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Ortiz has looked great in each of his step-up opportunities thus far, including back-to-back tough fights in 2019 against veterans Mauricio Herrera and Antonio Orozco, with each fight ending in another knockout for the slugging southpaw.
Although Ortiz admits he hasn't been heavily tested inside the ring to date and has yet to have an opponent push him to the 12-round distance, he credits the elite sparring he gets inside trainer Robert Garcia's gym against the likes of Mikey Garcia, Jose Ramirez and Josesito Lopez for letting him know he's legit.
"I haven't gone the full 12 rounds yet, so you still haven't seen half of what I can do or what happens when push comes to shove," Ortiz said. "I do have a lot more -- it just needs the right person to bring it out.
"I don't know how soon [he will be challenged] but I definitely love those fights. If I win and prove everyone wrong, that just makes me fight even better. There was a lot of doubt from some when I fought Mauricio Herrera and even from myself, but it feels great when you pass a test that you weren't really supposed to pass."
The 31-year-old Vargas has consistently lost each time he has stepped up in class, including fights against Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and Luis Collazo. Ortiz expects Vargas will try to take him into deep waters to expose his lack of experience.
"I live for all of that. I know that I can survive in those deep waters," Ortiz said. "Now it's just seeing if someone else can hang with me. That's when it becomes even more competitive and I want to win it.
"I look at myself and I see myself looking at weaknesses [of elite welterweights] and exploiting them. I don't care who you are, I will find that chink in the armor and I think I can exploit these guys."
Ortiz is not the only notable name fighting on this first card back for Golden Boy Promotions. Shane Mosley Jr. will take on Jeremy Ramos in a middleweight bout in the co-main event. The son of former welterweight and junior middleweight world champion Shane Mosley is riding a two fight win streak and has won five of his last six bouts. He's heavily favored against Ramos, who is just 11-8 in his professional career.
Below is the complete card with odds via William Hill Sportsbook and a prediction for the main event.
Ortiz vs. Vargas card
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Vergil Ortiz Jr. -8000 | Samuel Vargas +2200 | Welterweights |
Shane Mosley Jr. -650 | Jeremy Ramos +475 | Middleweights |
Seniesa Estrada | Miranda Atkins | Women's junior flyweights |
Hector Valdez | Josue Morales | Junior featherweights |
Evan Sanchez | Issouf Kinda | Welterweights |
Prediction
While there is potential for Vargas to give Ortiz rounds and test him just a bit, this is the perfect showcase fight for the 5-foot-10 southpaw to do what he does best. Expect a barrage of body shots as Ortiz meets Vargas' aggression and pounds away at the body in the early going in hopes of setting up a mid-round knockout upstairs. Ortiz is too young, long and hungry to suffer a misstep against this level of competition. Pick: Ortiz via TKO5
Who wins Ortiz Jr. vs. Vargas? Exactly how long does it last, and how does it end? Visit SportsLine now to get Peter Kahn's best bets, all from the fight game manager who's 15-0 on boxing picks since the sport returned.
