Vergil Ortiz Jr wins decision over Israil Madrimov, retains interim WBC belt
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Vergil Ortiz Jr scraped past Israil Madrimov to stay unbeaten and keep his interim title.
It wasn’t always the most pleasing fight to watch, but Vergil Ortiz Jr nicked a decision win over Israil Madrimov to remain undefeated and keep his interim WBC super welterweight title.
Ortiz (23-0, 21 KO) went the distance for the second straight fight, taking unanimous decision scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 117-111, the latter perhaps a bit wide, but unlikely to draw much controversy, because Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KO) won over no neutral fans with his approach in this one.
The Uzbek technician was able to neutralize a lot of what Ortiz does well in the first half of the fight, but once Ortiz picked up the pace a bit more, he put himself in the driver’s seat and was able to control more of the tempo and tone of the bout, leaving Madrimov looking overly cautious.
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It’s the sort of performance that could haunt Madrimov, 30, because in his last two bouts — both losses, to Bud Crawford and now Ortiz — it’s clear that he’s very skilled and very difficult to beat and to look good against, and historically that combination without a big natural audience of money-paying fans can make it hard to get good fights.
This is, of course, a different era in boxing, where nobody involved much cares how much money most of the big shows make, because they are designed for other purposes ahead of gate and pay-per-view revenue, but we’ll see what happens with Madrimov.
Some beeves are petty, some beeves start small and linger, but the Nikola Jokic-Markieff Morris beef was different. It started when one giant shoved a slightly smaller giant really, really hard. It was quite shocking for me, a non-giant, to watch, and based on Markeiff Morris being out for 58 games with whiplash after the shove, it was pretty shocking for him as well. Now, consider the fact that both beef participants are extremely close with their brothers. And also that their brothers are known for shows of aggression and being strong and one used to be a professional MMA fighter. And you’ve got yourself a beefball with no filler, no biding agent, just beef.
Ortiz, 26, sounded pleased with his performance, and said he knew exactly the fight he was getting into with Madrimov.
“This was expected. We knew what kind of fight it was going to be. He’s a tough opponent, he was there to win,” Ortiz said. “(I just had to) stay patient and not over-throw. I knew that I was going to have to be smart and pick my punches. … I just want to fight the best. Anyone Turki (Alalshikh) gives me, I’ll say yes. I never duck anybody.”
After wins over the gritty, action-minded Serhii Bohachuk and now the technique-heavy Madrimov, Ortiz has passed a pair of stern tests in his last two fights, and is right there with the best of the best at 154 lbs, especially now that we know Terence Crawford is going to move up and probably isn’t long for the sport in general.
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A stacked slate of boxing continued with a tight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, with Vergil Ortiz Jr. defeating Israil Madrimov to retain the WBC interim super welterweight title. After 12 rounds of close fighting, Ortiz Jr. won via unanimous decision, 115-113, 115-113, 117-111, over Madrimov.
Early on, Madrimov controlled the pace, but Ortiz found his rhythm and started to fight back.
Madrimov then stood his ground and connected on several blows, forcing Ortiz to slow down. But Ortiz made headway in the ninth round, turning up the pressure and getting through Madrimov to land a handful of well-placed shots to the head and body. Ortiz continued to sustain that energy, even as Madrimov gave Round 10 a little bit of juice toward the end, but it was Ortiz who was regaining control.
Madrimov didn’t back down, and appeared to get his second wind in the final round as the two exchanged blows, but Ortiz landed a nice uppercut and a key right hand to take control.
The result was then up to the judges, who awarded Ortiz the unanimous win, giving the 26-year-old American one of the biggest moments of his career.
With the triumph, Ortiz defended his interim super welterweight title, which he captured in December after defeating Serhii Bohachuk. Ortiz won the title by majority decision (113-113, 114-112 and 114-112), with a relentless and thrilling Round 8 that made the matchup an instant classic.
Ortiz stepped up again Saturday, but there was no doubt Madrimov was going to put up a fight. Prior to Saturday’s bout, Madrimov was coming off a gritty loss to pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. Even in the loss, Madrimov exceeded expectations and showed immense skill, which was on display again against Ortiz.
Ortiz is now 23-0 with 21 knockouts; Madrimov drops to 10–2–1 after losing his second consecutive tough decision.
Check out full results, highlights and Uncrowned’s round-by-round coverage for Saturday’s stacked Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 fight card here.
After 12 very close rounds, Ortiz Jr. wins via unanimous decision, 115-113, 115-113, 117-111, over Madrimov
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Beterbiev-Bivol 2 Card Results–Ortiz Vs. Madrimov Scores And Reaction
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 22: Vergil Ortiz Jr punches Israil Madrimov (Photo by Richard … [+]
WBC interim super welterweight champion, Vergil Ortiz Jr. put on the best performance of his career on Saturday. Ortiz walked away with a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov (117-111, 115-113).
Ortiz needed a few rounds to gain the timing from Madrimov, who employs constant movement, but once he did, the former dealt telling damage in the latter rounds. The deconstruction of Madrimov in this fight was similar to the story we saw unfold when Terence Crawford won a majority decision over the talented Uzbekistan fighter.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 22: Vergil Ortiz Jr punches Israil Madrimov during the WBC Interim … [+]
Ortiz’s heavy hands, jab, feints, and the one-two combinations off those fakes broke Madrimov down. Madrimov showed excellent heart, but he couldn’t land enough heavy punches to stop Ortiz from advancing forward and taking control of the fight.
Ortiz outlanded Madrimov 166-127 in total punches, 60-30 in jabs, and 106-97 in power punches. Because some of the judges may have given Madrimov the early rounds, the 115-113 card is understandable.
Quite honestly, the scores could have been wider had Madrimov been penalized for constant pushing off and leading with his head. The referee warned him multiple times and would have been justified in taking a point—especially since the action picked up as Madrimov seemingly became more frustrated.
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However, the right man won and is now seemingly in a position for a mega-fight at 154 pounds. After the fight, Ortiz indirectly mentioned the failed bout between him and Jaron “Boots” Ennis that was originally planned for this event.
Ortiz said he has never ducked anyone, and quite honestly, I believe him. Ennis now seems determined to go for unification at welterweight. That seemingly leaves Ortiz looking to challenge Sebastian Fundora for his WBC and WBO titles.
However, rising Puerto Rican prospect Xander Zayas has also targeted Fundora. It’s possible Ortiz could face Errol Spence–who has been inactive since losing via TKO to Crawford in July 2023.
Crawford is likely off the table for all 154-pounders while he prepares to fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds in September. In any case, Ortiz has positioned himself for a championship opportunity.
Madrimov has to go back to the drawing board. While his herky-jerky style has proven to be problematic for elite fighters for a few rounds, it hasn’t proven to be a winning approach. Can he make the necessary adjustments to push himself past some of the best fighters, or will he have to settle for being a test fight more than a legit championship contender?
Here’s a look at the results for the event up to this point:
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