LAS VEGAS — One of boxing financier Turki Alalshikh’s biggest wishes right now may not actually align with what’s best for Vergil Ortiz.
World Boxing News attended Riyadh Season’s US debut in Los Angeles on August 3, which featured Terence Crawford’s decision win over Israil Madrimov at super welterweight, as well as the August 10 event Golden Boy Promotions held in Las Vegas.
Throughout both weeks we heard how Alalshikh was envisioning big fights for Crawford.
At first, Alalshikh’s preferred Crawford opponent was Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, but after boxing’s popular prizefighter rejected the Saudi advisor’s advances, he moved his focus to Crawford vs Ortiz, instead.
Alalshikh even said on stage with Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar de la Hoya that they were cooking up a double-header featuring Crawford against Ortiz, and Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda.
“We will give Crawford [a] big offer to do this,” Alalshikh said during the event World Boxing News attended at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.
Despite his unbeaten record, Vergil Ortiz may not be ready for Crawford just yet.
He survived two knockdowns to beat Bohachuk by a slim margin Saturday in a bruising and brutal Fight of the Year epic.
After going life-and-death with Bohachuk in a slug-fest, a Crawford fight in his very next bout — if he is to follow Alalshikh’s grand plan — could see him suffer a nasty beatdown.
There are other options for Ortiz that, if he were to succeed in, could put him in a better place to at least compete with Crawford, who turns 38 at the end of next year. Not only would Ortiz be more experienced by that point, but Crawford would be older and closer to 40.
Ortiz’s other options include a Bohachuk rematch, a unification against Sebastian Fundora, a prospective fight with Tim Tszyu, and a fight with Charles Conwell.
Rising super welterweight contender Conwell made his Golden Boy debut at the Bohachuk-Ortiz event, and beat Khiary Gray in the co-main thanks to a speculator second-round knockout.
“Give me all the big names,” he said in the ring after his win.
Well, one of those names is Vergil Ortiz.
Golden Boy co-founder Bernard Hopkins even told World Boxing News and other reporters that such a fight could happen sooner, rather than later.
Though Ortiz was transported to an ambulance after the fight as a precautionary measure, he may return for a third fight this year.
Hopkins even said he’d like to see Ortiz vs Conwell before the end of 2024.
Ortiz’s trainer Robert Garcia, meanwhile, told World Boxing News and other reporters that his fighter is “going to have to rest” over “the next few months” to recover from the brutal, brilliant, barnburner.
On whether he’s okay with Ortiz fighting Crawford, Garcia said: “It’s something we have to talk about, and consider. But, yes, I’m okay with the fight. Obviously, with enough time … Vergil will have some time off. He earned it.”
Regarding a do-over with Bohachuk, Garcia said: “A rematch is also something we’d consider.”
“It was a great fight, a close fight,” he added. “So, definitely, if the offer is there and Crawford is not available, why not [book] a rematch. Serhii deserves the rematch.”
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
