Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz Jr., returns to the ring to face British fighter Michael McKinson in a scheduled 12-round fight on August 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, it was announced on Thursday.
Ortiz (18-0, 18 knockouts) hasn’t fought since August 2021 when he defeated Egidijus Kavaliauskas by TKO. Ortiz was scheduled to face McKinson in Los Angeles on March 19 but a medical emergency forced the undefeated fighter out of the bout.
“I’m delighted that this fight as come back around for Mikey,” promoter Eddie Hearn said in a statement. “He suffered disappointment in March when Vergil was forced out of the fight but thanks to a lot of hard work all around, he was able to fight in LA and gathered valuable experience by making his US debut and all that comes with it. So there will be no surprises for him in Fort Worth.”
On March 19, McKinson (22-0, 2 knockouts) made his US debut and recorded a victory over Alex Martin when Ortiz backed out of the fight due to a health issue.
Ortiz is considered one of the rising welterweights in the sport.
He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBC, WBA and WBO.
And a victory over McKinson can get him back on track for a possible title fight. DeSoto’s Errol Spence holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts. Spence is trying to fight Terence Crawford (WBO) in a unification fight this fall.
Ortiz will have to keep winning and being patience.
“Vergil Ortiz Jr., is the most exciting welterweight in the world,” said Ortiz’s promoter Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya. “We are happy that he is back, healthy and feels 100%. Fighting in his home state, I can’t think of a better way for him to make his comeback and put on another great performance for his fans.”
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