DAZN and Golden Boy: Victor Ortiz victorious over Samuel Vargas

Golden Boy Promotions were back with more live boxing to keep fans happy after Top Rank Boxing recently wrapped up its initial slate of fights from Las Vegas in what were the first live bouts since the stoppage from covid 19. Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions presented the card live from the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.

Golden Boy offered a strong card that saw Dallas’ Vergil Ortiz in the main event going up against rugged Toronto, Canada welterweight gate-keeper Samuel Vargas for the WBC Gold welterweight title. Ortiz was about as hot as they come going into the ring at 15-0, with 15 KO’s. While Vargas didn’t sport the glossy numbers coming into the bout at 31-5-2 (14 KO’s), he is the much more experienced fighter having faced the likes of Amir Khan, Danny Garcia, Errol Spence and Luis Collazo, but experience can help only so much in the squared circle.

A loss would have been a huge setback for Ortiz, a 10-1 favorite, and a career defining win for Vargas. But, in the end, Ortiz Jr. (16-0, 16 KO’s) successfully defended his title with a TKO seven over the always-game Vargas (31-6-2, 14 KO’s).

Vargas did land some good shots but was punished all night by the more talented Ortiz. Ortiz set the tone by connecting with heavy hooks in the opening stanza, He went to the body in round two. Ortiz unloaded in round four, but the gutsy Vargas hung in. He even rallied somewhat in the next heat. Ortiz had Vargas wobbly in round seven. Referee Jack Reiss finally had seen enough and waved off the fight. The time was 2:58 of round seven.

Ortiz wants a former champ in his next fight.

“I would like to fight Danny Garcia or Keith Thurman. They’re good opponents I can beat. I want to take risks. I’m not here to take easy fights. I’m in the hardest division in boxing, so when I win a title it will mean a lot more.”

Under Card

Middleweight Shane Mosley Jr. (16-3, 9 KO’s) UD 8 Jeremy Ramos (11-9, 4 KO’s).

WBC female silver light flyweight title, Seniesa Estrada (19-0, 8 KO’s) KO 1 Miranda Adkins (5-1, 5 KO’s).

Super bantamweight Hector Valdez (13-0, 8 KO’s) UD 8 Josue Morales (11-12-4, 1 KO).

Welterweight Evan Sanchez (8-0, 6 KOs) UD 6 Issouf Kinda (18-5, 7 KO’s).