Promoter Oscar De La Hoya wants to match Vergil Ortiz Jr against Terence Crawford in 2025 if Vergil is successful in his next two fights.
De La Hoya says if Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) wins his fight this Saturday night against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk and then beats Tim Tszyu later this year, he can then face WBA 154-lb champion Crawford in a unification match in 2025.
Tszyu is expected to face IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev for his belt. If he wins that fight and Ortiz Jr. is victorious against Bohachuk, a match between them can happen. However, Tszyu and his management might have other plans.
Fighting Vergil Jr. would be risky for Tszyu, especially if he’s hoping to face Crawford. It’s the bigger payday for Tszyu, and he might want to swerve a clash against Ortiz Jr.
It’s a needless risk for Tszyu, and Ortiz’s title would be the WBC interim belt, not the full one held by Sebastian Fundora.
“Crawford, I love. He’s probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. His style is fan-friendly. He’s a tremendous boxer and undefeated,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight hype about Terence Crawford.
Last Saturday, Crawford moved up to 154. He dethroned WBA champion Israil Madrimov by a twelve-round unanimous decision in the headliner in a Riyadh Season event at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
“He went up a weight class [154], and he met up with a guy [Israil Madrimov] who is really tough. Sometimes, you’re not going to look as good as in your previous fights, fighting smaller guys. It’s okay. It’s a learning process. He has to establish himself at 154,” continued De La Hoya about Crawford.
Crawford had problems with Madrimov’s style and power because he hadn’t fought anyone like that in his career and was coming off a 13-month layoff. He got the win and now holds the WBA title at 154 lb. He just needs the other three to become the undisputed champion at junior middleweight.
The Potential Super Fight
If Crawford has to go through Vergil Ortiz Jr. to earn that distinction, it will be tough, especially if another year goes by before he faces the younger. By this time next year, Crawford will be 38, and that’s a bit ripe to be going up against a puncher like Vergil Jr.
“He probably fought the most toughest guy. Not the most dangerous guy but the toughest guy,” De La Hoya said about Madrimov. “But I think Crawford against Vergil Ortiz next year in the first quarter will be a super fight.
“We’re hoping if Vergil wins this Saturday, he can go up against Tim Tszyu later on this year. Then the winner of Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz can face Crawford,” said De La Hoya.
If it plays out as De La Hoya wishes, Vergil could be the king of the 154-lb division and a new star. Beating Crawford would be hard, but he’ll be older by next year, and he might not have enough left at 38 to beat Ortiz.
