Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy
Antonio Orozco will look to get right back in the conversation against Vergil Ortiz Jr on Aug. 10.
Antonio Orozco, once considered a top prospect at 140 pounds, is now 31 and has never quite broken through in the sport, suffering some career setbacks with issues making weight, and then a loss last year in a world title fight against Jose Ramirez.
At 28-1 (17 KO), Orozco now has an Aug. 10 DAZN main event against red-hot prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr (13-0, 13 KO) lined up, and he’ll be going to Ortiz’s backyard just as he did against Ramirez.
“When the fight was presented, I thought it would be one hell of a fight because of the type of fighter that I am, and the type of fighter Vergil Ortiz is,” Orozco said from training camp. “This is a fight that pretty much sells itself. Going to a fighter’s hometown is a situation that I’ve been in before when I fought for a world title. I went in there determined to win. For this particular fight, I have the same determination, but I’m looking for a different outcome. I just want to win; I need a big win.”
Orozco comes into this one as the veteran with Ortiz as the prospect, a new sort of scenario for Orozco, but he says he’s not relying on any inexperience from Ortiz to be a boost.
”Because he is young, you can see that Vergil is a fighter that wants to put on a show. That’s a big danger in any fight, and it’s something you have to look out for,” He said. “Vergil is just that type of fighter, very exciting, aggressive. We have to be ready for that. I know that he’s never been past the fourth or fifth round but can’t just rely on that. We have to make our fight. These are just statistics, facts that are put out there. Once we’re up in the ring, the scenarios can change.”
Orozco took a beating against Ramirez last September, but went the 12-round distance and did his best to give punishment back throughout the fight. Still, despite it being a clear loss, he says it was a fight he was able to learn from in the end, and you could see some evidence of that in his last fight on March 30, a win over journeyman Jose Luis Rodriguez where Orozco never dominated the fight, but also didn’t get ahead of himself against a tough guy.
”From my defeat last year, I learned to be patient. Sometimes it won’t be an all-out brawl. We’re learning how to control the pace,” he said. “This is a fight where we’re looking to control the distance and take it into the later rounds. Every fight is a learning experience, not just in my loss to Jose Ramirez, but from previous fights as well. There’s always something to learn, but obviously staying composed is very important.”
”On August 10, I’ll come with a lot of experience, but I’m just not counting on that. This is boxing, and anything can happen. Every fighter has his flaws and every fighter has his strengths. So, we’re just going to have to stay really focused on what corrections we may have to do during the fight. That’s how we’re going to approach the fight.”
Orozco fought at a catchweight between 140 and 147, but this fight with Ortiz will be at 147, where Ortiz fought on May 4, obliterating durable vet Mauricio Herrera in three. Herrera had never been stopped before, but Orozco believes there are bigger chances at 147, and a win over Ortiz would put him right back in the world title mix.
”For this fight, I’ll be fighting in a new weight division. I think there’s a lot more opportunities at 147 pounds,” he said. “We’re going to work for a victory, and we’re going to sit down and see what our options are after. With a big fight, plenty of doors can open, especially since it’s against a fighter of this caliber.”
As mentioned, he’s no stranger to going into hostile territory, and he’s aware of the pressures of doing so.
”Going into somebody’s backyard is no easy task. We just have to be prepared to the best of our abilities and expect a very strong fighter that night,” he said. “After the Ramirez fight, I think found out exactly what I’m about. I faced a champion like Ramirez, and I pushed myself until finished the fight. I think that speaks a lot about myself. We’re going to bring that same passion on August 10.
”The fans can expect an explosive fight. Like I mentioned before this fight sold itself. The styles that myself and Ortiz have will give the fans what they want, which is fireworks.”
