Welterweight KO Artist Bemoans 'Title Shot' Against Crawford, Pacquiao Or Spence Isn't Happening

An undefeated welterweight contender has addressed his case to take on the biggest names in the division.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. is becoming one of the most sought-after young talents in boxing. He has a flawless professional record of 18-0 with all wins coming by way of knockout.

The 23-year-old is coming off another sensational KO victory over Lithuania’s Egidijus Kavaliauskas on Saturday for the vacant WBO International welterweight title.

Like other boxing prodigies, Ortiz is also looking to go to the next level and face the likes of Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr.

However, he is well aware that based on the trajectory of events, it appears that he is unlikely to fight the aforementioned world champions in his weight class.

“Yes, sir,” Ortiz recently told the media when asked if he’s ready to fight Crawford. “I don’t even know what I have to do anymore [to earn a fight with Crawford]. I’m ready to fight him whenever.”

“I can’t fight the champions right now because Crawford is lining up with Shawn Porter, [Yordenis] Ugas and [Manny] Pacquiao are fighting each other, and Errol [Spence Jr.] can’t fight. They have legitimate excuses not to fight me. So as far as my next fight, it’s most likely not to be for a world title shot because the champions are preoccupied. So, we’re going to try and stay busy, get another fight in this year, and try to keep moving forward.”

Despite the odds of sharing the ring with a world champion seemingly not in his favor, Ortiz insisted that he is not taking a pause and just wait for it to happen.

Instead, the unbeaten boxer is keeping himself active until the right moment comes.

“I’m taking the [tough] fights, I’m getting the valuable experience,” the Texas native pointed out in another interview with Fight Hub TV. “I’m getting better with each and every fight. I’m getting stronger, I’m getting faster, and I’m getting smarter so I guess I am a puppy right now.”

“I think I have at least one more fight [before the end of the year],” he added. “It’s just if they want to take the fight. Literally, that’s it. That’s the only problem we run into.”

Ortiz's promoter and Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya, on the other hand, is already working on slating his star client for a massive welterweight showdown against Crawford.

“I’m going to personally call Jerry Jones and [Terence] Crawford so we can stage this fight at the Dallas Cowboys stadium,” De La Hoya told The Dallas Morning News. “It would be huge.”