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Grand Prairie’s Vergil Ortiz Jr. survives early scare from Egidijus Kavaliauskas, wins by TKO

After the fight, Ortiz said he deserves an opportunity to fight Terence Crawford.

Grand Prairie’s Vergil Ortiz Jr. appeared to be in some trouble on Saturday.

Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas staggered Ortiz in both the second and third rounds, seemingly putting him in a tough spot.

However, Ortiz responded, knocking down Kavaliauskas five times en route to an 8th-round TKO to defend his WBO International title in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco. The win moved Ortiz to 18-0, all wins coming via knockout.

“I think I did alright. I got the win, I could’ve looked a little prettier doing it,” Ortiz said. “I’m happy with my performance and we’re only going to get better from here.”

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After the win, Ortiz said he felt like he’s earned the opportunity to fight Terence Crawford.

“I’m here whenever. I’m ready to fight whenever,” Ortiz said. “I’m here to fight anybody. I don’t care if it’s Crawford, [Errol] Spence, [Manny] Pacquiao, you name it. I’ll fight anyone.”

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Hall of Fame fighter Oscar De La Hoya wants a Crawford vs. Ortiz fight.

“I’m going to personally call Jerry Jones and [Terence] Crawford so we can stage this fight at the Dallas Cowboys stadium,” De La Hoya said before Saturday. “It would be huge.”

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