Vergil Ortiz is Back on Track in His Career, Says Robert Garcia

Without missing a beat.

That is what trainer Robert Garcia would describe the reunion between himself and unbeaten Vergil Ortiz, Jr.

Ortiz will make his 154-pound debut tonight against Fredrick Lawson at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 12-round bout will headline a four-bout Golden Boy Promotions card that will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

At Friday’s weigh-in, Ortiz weighed in at the contracted weight of 156 pounds. Lawson came in at 152.4 pounds.

The 25-year-old Ortiz (19-0, 19 knockouts), who resides in Grand Prairie, Texas, last fought in August 2022, dropping Michael McKinson twice en route to a knockout win in round nine. Ortiz was scheduled to face McKinson in March of that year, but the fight was pushed back due to Ortiz was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis days before the fight. Ortiz had to be hospitalized. 

Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Ortiz, won the purse bid for Ortiz to face Eimantas Stanionis last year, but the fight was postponed three times, due in part again to the rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. 

Almost three months after stopping former WBO world welterweight title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas, which took place in August 2021, both Ortiz and Garcia confirmed an amicable split between the two. Ortiz would be trained by father, Vergil Ortiz, Sr., and would receive assistance from Southern California-based trainer Manny Robles for the McKinson fight.

Back in November, both sides announced that they would reunite. Ortiz traveled to Riverside, California, where the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy is located. 

Garcia told Boxingscene how both sides met again and moved forward.

“I flew to Dallas (Texas) during the final days of October,” Garcia told Boxingscene in a recent interview. “(We) had lunch with Vergil and his Dad. Everything went well. I’m glad they’re back at RGBA (Robert Garcia Boxing Academy).”

Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs), who is originally from Accra, Ghana and now resides in Chicago, Illinois, was victorious in his last bout on April 29, defeating once-beaten Estevan Villalobos by unanimous decision in an action fight. 

The 34-year-old has won three of his last four bouts with the only blemish coming at the hands of Charles Hatley in September 2021. 

Ironically, April 29 was one of the original dates for the Ortiz-Stanionis fight that did not take place due to Ortiz withdrawing from the rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. 

In the co-feature, Ohara Davies and Ismael Barroso will clash in a 12-round bout for the WBA interim world junior welterweight title. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing