Israil Madrimov predicts that he will end the unbeaten streak of Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) when he challenges him for his WBC interim junior middleweight title in 16 days on February 22nd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) is coming off a close defeat against Terence Crawford last August, and he’s not going to make the same mistakes in that fight when he takes on Ortiz Jr. this month on Turki Al-Sheikh’s loaded Riyadh Season card.
Crawford’s Lesson
The Crawford match was very winnable for ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov. However, he gave away the victory by not going all out in rounds 10 through 12, letting his hands go against the aging, weaker, smaller Omaha, Nebraska native. That fight showed that Madrimov needs to adapt and veer away from the amateur, point-scoring style he used to accumulate over 300 fights.
Vergil Ortiz will follow the Crawford blueprint against Madrimov by outworking him with volume, daring him to match his high output. That’s the saying Ortiz Jr. uses all the time in his fights.
Ortiz’s Style
So, using it won’t require any changes on his part in his usual fighting style. Moreover, he won’t be hesitant to throw the way Crawford was much of the time due to the constant feints that Madrimov uses.
Vergil Jr. will let his hands go, trying to bury Madrimov with activity. This is a fight where the former WBA 154-lb champion Israil, 29, will be forced to throw more. If he doesn’t, Ortiz Jr. will win a lopsided 12-round decision or possibly score a knockout.
When asked by DAZN if he’d end 26-year-old Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s unbeaten streak on February 22nd, a smiling, shark-like Madrimov said, “Yes.” He looked certain, like a predator ready to tear into its prey.
Vergil Jr. didn’t look good in his last fight against Serhii Bohachuk, getting dropped twice and winning a questionable 12-round majority decision on August 10th in Las Vegas. Bohachuk out-punched the knockout artist Ortiz Jr, forcing him to get on his bike and box the last three rounds because the powerful shots from the WBC interim 154-lb champions had broken him.
Was Crawford your toughest opponent? 👀
Will you be world champ in 2025? 👑@IsrailMadrimov plays “Yes” or “No” ✅❌#BeterbievBivol2 | #RiyadhSeason | Feb 22, live on DAZN: Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/6dx8EhiqzH— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 6, 2025
Last Updated on 02/06/2025
