By Dan Ambrose: Unbeaten Vergil Ortiz Jr has had a reoccurrence of rhabdomyolysis, resulting in his April 29th fight against WBA secondary welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis needing to be canceled.
Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) and Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) had been scheduled to headline a twelve-round bout on DAZN at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, U.S.
It’s unknown what is causing Ortiz to come down with the repeated rhabdomyolysis conditioning, but some boxing fans believe this is a result of him needing to drop a lot of weight to make the 147-lb limit.
Ortiz Jr looks enormous for the welterweight division, and it might be a good idea for him to move up to 154 if his medical problem is related to his need to lose so much weight.
It’s physically challenging for fighters to drop enormous amounts of weight to fight in divisions that aren’t designed for their body frames.
This is the second time the 25-year-old Vergil has dealt with this medical problem, as he suffered the issue last year in March while preparing for his fight against British welterweight Michael McKinson.
Once the Texas native Ortiz Jr recovered from that problem, he defeated McKinson by a ninth-round knockout on August 6th.
The injury is bad news for Stanionis because he wants to face WBA ‘Super World’ champion Errol Spence Jr before he leaves the 147-lb division.
There’s a lot of money that can be made fighting the PPV star Spence, and if Ortiz is out of action due to his medical issue, it could wreck Stanionis’ chances of facing Spence.
Errol plans on moving up to 154 soon to begin campaigning in that weight class because it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for him to make weight at 147.
When Spence moves up in weight, there’s virtually no one for Stanionis or Ortiz to fight in a PPV match that will make them big money. Unfortunately, WBO belt holder Terence Crawford isn’t a pay-per-view attraction, and the contenders are obscure fighters that only hardcore boxing fans know of.
Golden Boy’s statement on Vergil Ortiz Jr pulling out
“In preparation for his upcoming fight on April 29 in Arlington, Texas, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. has had to pull out of his main event versus Eimantas Stanionis for the WBA Regular Welterweight World Championship due to a flare-up with rhabdomyolysis.
“Ortiz was diagnosed in March 2022 with a serious condition that can cause permanent and potentially fatal organ damage. He is expected to fully recover and return to the ring later this year.
“Vergil works tirelessly to prepare for his fights, and this is, of course, a huge disappointment for Golden Boy, him and his family,” said Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya.