Vergil Ortiz vs Dullerme Highlights | Boxing News Today

When he entered the ring to face Thomas Dulorme at Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, on Saturday night, Vergil Ortiz Jr. had experienced just one round of boxing in almost two years. When he left the ring, he had increased that to two. Ortiz remained perfect, at 21-0 with 21 KOs, courtesy of a left hook to the body that dropped Dulorme and left him writhing in agony on the canvas until referee Thomas Taylor completed the count at 2:39 of the opening frame. As much as Ortiz might have liked some extra work after such prolonged inactivity, the evening could not have gone much better for him, given that he already has his next fight lined up: an Aug. 3 clash in Los Angeles with former junior middleweight titlist Tim Tszyu on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s challenge of WBA 154-pound beltholder Israil Madrimov. For Ortiz, his second consecutive first-round knockout of the year seems to have left his recent travails firmly in the rear-view mirror. Since 2022, the young contender was forced to withdraw from three fights due to health issues related to rhabdomyolysis, which doctors determined was a consequence of the lingering effects of COVID. “I’m very happy,” Ortiz said in the ring after his win over Dulorme. “It was a very calculated shot. I can’t really explain it in words. I just feel [when to throw punches like that]. I heard him make a sound, and the way he fell, I knew it was over.” While the fight marked a second first-round-knockout win in a row for Ortiz, it was two opening frame defeats in three outings for Dulorme (26-7-1, 17 KOs), who also was stopped inside three minutes by Jaron “Boots” Ennis in 2021. Ortiz now turns his attention to Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs), who lost his titles via decision to Sebastian Fundora on March 30 after suffering a bloody gash to his head at the end of Round 3 in that fight. “Hey, Tim,” Ortiz said in the ring. “I know you’re watching. I’m ready for you. Let’s get ready for World War III. Let’s put on the best show for the people.” Boxing news today is vergil ortiz vs dullerme highlights.