By: Sean Crose
Vergil Ortiz (19-0) returned to the ring after nearly a year and a half away Saturday night in Las Vegas, as he battled Fredrick Lawson (30-3) in a junior middleweight bout scheduled for twelve. The fight was the main event of a Golden Boy Card that aired live on streaming service DAZN.
Most of the first was essentially a trial period for each man, although both fighters landed powerful punches. However, Ortiz was able to hurt his man towards the end of the round. With Lawson against the ropes, it was clear that Ortiz was pitching to end the night early, although the night ended sooner than perhaps even Ortiz expected.
Referee Tony Weeks suddenly stopped the matter. While it was clear that Lawson was nervous and absorbing the punishment against the ropes, the abrupt finality of the stoppage was surprising. Still, Weeks, a respected veteran referee, claimed that he saw Lawson’s eyes roll back in his head as Ortiz unleashed powerful blows on him.
“I wish I could have kept going,” Ortiz said in the post-fight interview. “I need the rounds, but oh well…”
When asked who he would like to fight next, Ortiz mentioned an opponent who would certainly be an interesting matchup. “Tim Tzyu,” he said, “with all due respect, I would love to fight you. I think you’re a great fighter, so let’s make it happen.”
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said that “Ortiz will even go to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu.”
“Let’s do it,” Ortiz added.
Interestingly, the co-main event of Saturday’s card featured another first-round stoppage, as veteran Ismael Barroso surprised quite a few people by knocking down Ohara Davis twice before the fight was stopped.
