Promoter Oscar De La Hoya took to social media today to ask his followers to pick a winner between Ryan Garcia and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
An Unwise Move for Ryan Garcia?
De La Hoya could be thinking about making an in-house fight between Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) and Vergil (21-0, 21 KOs) because they’re both with Golden Boy Promotions.
It doesn’t make sense for Ryan to take this fight because Vergil, 26, has never won a world title, and he’s not popular compared to some of the fighters at 154.
If Ryan, 25, is going to take on someone from the junior middleweight division, Vergil wouldn’t be the one to face. He would be helping him out by making him more popular, but it’s not a fight that would sell on PPV.
“Hypothetically, who wins at 154, Vergil Ortiz or Ryan Garcia?” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya on X.
Size Disparity Concerns
Vergil has a much larger frame than Ryan, which could result in a size mismatch between them. Ryan should be fighting welterweights, not junior middleweights, when he returns to the ring after his one-year suspension ends in April 2025. Ortiz belongs at 154 or 160, but not Ryan Garcia.
It would be better for De La Hoya to keep Ryan and Ortiz apart so he can have two revenue streams rather than match them and watch one lose. If De La Hoya is desperate to turn Vergil into a star, there are better ways for him to do it rather than raiding the lower-weight classes to find popular fighters that he can use.
Unfortunately, De La Hoya has his work cut out to try and turn Vergil Ortiz into a star because he doesn’t have a large social media following, and he’s had medical problems one after another that have kept him out of the ring.
Vergil lacks charisma and doesn’t seem like someone who can capture and hold onto a title. He was badly hurt in his fight against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and he would have been knocked out if that fighter hadn’t gassed.
A Crucial Test for Ortiz
Ortiz has a tough fight ahead of him against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) on August 10th at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. That will be tough for Vergil because Bohachuk can fight, and he won’t fall apart like the two journeymen he fought earlier this year.
When his suspension ends, Ryan Garcia can make more money in a rematch with Devin Haney next year. There will be a lot of fan interest in a second fight between Ryan and Haney. It’s a far better fight for PPV than Ryan taking on Vergil Ortiz. That’s a fight where Vergil would ride Ryan’s coattails.
