Trash talk tends to rule boxing, and poor behavior often generates big money.
Vergil Ortiz and Tim Tszyu, who will square off in a junior middleweight fight on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, break the mold.
Last Saturday, Ortiz notched a first-round knockout against former world title contender Thomas Dulorme – Ortiz’s second opening-round knockout of the year, after he stopped Fredrick Lawson inside a round back in January.
Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) versus Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) is one of the best fights that can be made in the division, despite Tszyu having lost a split decision to Sebastian Fundora in his previous outing.
Tszyu struggled with a bad cut for 10 rounds of a bloody fight in Las Vegas on March 30.
After defeating Dulorme, Ortiz said of himself and Tszyu: “We are not scared of anybody. I am not scared to fight anyone, but I am going to beat them.”
After watching Ortiz’s performance against Dulorme, Australia’a Tszyu took to X and posted: “Me and @VergilOrtiz is the real main event,” looking ahead to Aug. 3. “See you soon buddy!”
Both fighters have an aggressive style and a high knockout ratio. Given their similarities, many are excited about the pairing.
Ortiz’s father, Vergil Ortiz Sr., has said his son’s expertise is violence, and concluded,
“We are going for war.”