Vergil Ortiz Jr: Fight against Fredrick Lawson is happening for sure

Undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr takes on Fredrick Lawson at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 6. The pair squares off in the main event live on DAZN. The contest is scheduled for 12 rounds at super welterweight.

Ortiz Jr (19-0, 19 KOs) makes his highly anticipated ring return after over a year of layoff. The 25-year-old contender last fought in August 2022, when he dropped and stopped Michael McKinson in nine rounds. The Dallas, Texas native was expected to face Eimantas Stanionis last July, but the bout was cancelled after he fainted and was hospitalised.

“I just want to give a quick shout out to to everyone who’s believed in me up until this point,” Vergil Ortiz Jr said at the pre-fight press conference. “First and foremost, my dad, my team, Coach Robert, Coach Hector, and everyone on Golden Boy.”

“I put my heart into this sport. But now we’re here. We weigh-in tomorrow. If you had any doubts on getting any tickets erase them right now because this fight is happening for sure. And I’m ready. This is honestly the best I’ve ever felt.”

Vergil Ortiz Jr and Fredrick Lawson go face to face | Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions
Fredrick Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs) is riding a two-fight winning streak. Chicago-based 34-year-old defeated Estevan Villalobos by unanimous decision last time out in April 2023. Last January, the Accra, Ghana native stopped Collinson Korley in the opening round.

“First and foremost I would like to thank God. Thank you Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN who made this possible for us. We had a very good training camp leading up to this event. We’re prepared. We’ve seen a few scripts going around saying how this fight should go. We have a plan that will surprise everyone. We can’t wait for Saturday.”

Vergil Ortiz Jr and Fredrick Lawson | Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions
The 12-round co-main event pits former two-time world title challenger Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs) of Venezuela against British Ohara Davies (25-2, 18 KOs), who makes his debut in the United States. The pair battles it out for the interim WBA super lightweight title.

In the UK and Australia, Ortiz vs Lawson airs live on Sunday, January 7.

Links to streaming, pay-per-view, ticketing or VPN platforms provided on this page, if any, are affiliate links. We will be paid a commission, with no extra cost to you, if you use those links to make a purchase.

Add FIGHTMAG to your Google News feed

Exclusive ExpressVPN offer for FIGHTMAG readers: Get 3 extra months free with a 12-month subscription. That’s a saving of 49%.