IS VERGIL ORTIZ THE BEST PROSPECT ON TONITE'S ESPN2 FIGHT CARD?

[Best Coast]

Even though Vergil Ortiz is headlining the main event on tonight's ESPN2 fight card, he may not even be the best prospect on this talent-loaded card. At least 3 other unbeaten former amateur standouts are also fighting on this show.

HECTOR TANAJARA TEXAS 13-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/727366 He was US National Champ at 132 pounds in 2015 but turned professional right before US Olympic Trials

FERDINAND KEROBYAN CALIFORNIA 8-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/781258 Finished 4th at US Olympic Trials to eventual USOT winner in Challengers Bracket. Kerobyan was just 18 at the time.

MEIIRIM NURSULTANOV KAZAKHSTAN 6-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/778622 Numerous times Kazakhstan National Champ. Also won 2010 Asian Junior (Under-17) Championships.

[jamamb]

saldago has lost 7 of his last 8 , including just losing to another untested prospect by a landslide. in almost the last 6 years he has just 1 win

this to me isnt really much to get excited about

[Best Coast]

saldago has lost 7 of his last 8 , including just losing to another untested prospect by a landslide. in almost the last 6 years he has just 1 win

this to me isnt really much to get excited about

Logan Yoon is the guy who beat Salgado 2 months ago convincingly. Yoon is a former amateur standout I had previously overlooked and I just added him to the "TOP YOUNG GLOBAL PROSPECTS: 20 AND UNDER" thread.

Salgado is 33 but has already become a gatekeeper for young prospects.

Not surprisingly Ortiz is widely considered the #2 young prospect for Golden Boy Promotions behind Ryan Garcia and some consider him more promising than Garcia (though not as arrogant and cocky). If this seems like a formula developing for GBP to put their top young guns up against faded former champs that's because it IS.

Just like Garcia stepped up against former world title challenger Fernando Vargas in March and even farther up against Jayson Velez in May, expect Ortiz to KO the faded Delgado and follow that up with another step up against someone slightly tougher.

That has become the GBP template for advancing young prospects, which Oscar essentially learned from Arum at Top Rank.

[Best Coast]

Here's some of Vergil's pro highlights



And a brief interview with Ortiz shows him to be WAY more humble than GBP stablemate Ryan Garcia"

[SenorPipino]

Salgado was once a true contender.

But he's been on a bad skid now for 5 years.

I don't see how this represents a big step up for Ortiz at this stage of Salgado's career.

But I wouldn't point a finger at just GBP or Arum. Putting a prospect in with an over the hill one time contender is pretty much standard practice for any promoter.

A win impresses the casuals.

[Best Coast]

Salgado was once a true contender.

But he's been on a bad skid now for 5 years.

I don't see how this represents a big step up for Ortiz at this stage of Salgado's career.

But I wouldn't point a finger at just GBP or Arum. Putting a prospect in with an over the hill one time contender is pretty much standard practice for any promoter.

A win impresses the casuals.

Agreed. I'm not bashing GBP/Top Rank it's just that they are the ones who have refined the "sweet science" of favorable matchmaking!!

The reason I say big step up is not because Salgado will provide a serious threat but the fact that this bout is Ortiz' first 10-rounder and first main event on ESPN!! This will give him some excellent exposure to the "casuals" you mention.

Bottom Line: Ortiz is one of the hottest 140# prospects in the world right now and quite possibly a future world champ.

[world ranked]

A name fighter doesnt mean a step up. This is not one imo.

[SenorPipino]

Better believe ESPN will push the fact that Salgado destroyed Linares in just 1 round....albeit 9 years ago.

"Salgado owns a stoppage over the man who KNOCKED DOWN THE P4P CHAMPION LOMACHENKO," ESPN will remind us constantly.

They will gloss over that it occured a long long time ago.

[Best Coast]

A name fighter doesnt mean a step up. This is not one imo.

Considering that Ortiz hasnt fought any particularly accomplished opponents, Salgado may actually be a step up in quality.

That being said, it is highly doubtful his chin is any more solid that of 15-3 Jesus Alvarez, who was Vergil's 9th KO victim in his 9 wins.

[world ranked]

A name fighter doesnt mean a step up. This is not one imo.

Considering that Ortiz hasnt fought any particularly accomplished opponents, Salgado may actually be a step up in quality.

That being said, it is highly doubtful his chin is any more solid that of 15-3 Jesus Alvarez, who was Vergil's 9th KO victim in his 9 wins.

Only a step in name not even at his best weight.

[diddy]

Salgado is shot to pieces.

[SenorPipino]

Salgado is shot to pieces.

Must be so.

Oddsmakers list Ortiz as a 1-60 favorite.

If that matchup doesn't thrill you, ESPN2 will televise 2 hours of Classic Boxing immediately following the live card.

At 7 pm Pacific, the 1996 passing of the torch bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya will be shown.

And at 8 p.m. Pacific, the storied match between comebacking Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler takes the spotlight.

Even if you seen it 1,000 times, it always great to view it again and spend the next day debating who really won.

[world ranked]

I knew Salgado isnt really step up at this stage but I didnt know he was so shot he has lost 7 of his last 8.

[chuck9788]

Every fight is a test.

For Ortiz the goal is to destroy Salgado and open up some new eyes.

For Salgado it's to do well enough to go the distance, work to score some rounds and who knows maybe even land something big.

What will happen? I will be no doubt watching with the other hardcore fans.

[world ranked]

Every fight is a test.

For Ortiz the goal is to destroy Salgado and open up some new eyes.

For Salgado it's to do well enough to go the distance, work to score some rounds and who knows maybe even land something big.

What will happen? I will be no doubt watching with the other hardcore fans.

Its not the goal. It's expected for anything else for me is a disappointment. Its like he stopping a guy who has never been stopped. A guy who has lost 7 of his last 8 should be getting stopped. For me there's no why Vergil can impress me. He should dominate this guy even if its a first stoppage I won't be impressed because he's a fookin 1/100 favorite ffs.

[Best Coast]

Even though Vergil Ortiz is headlining the main event on tonight's ESPN2 fight card, he may not even be the best prospect on this talent-loaded card, There are 3 other former amateur standouts on this show that could well have brighter futures than Ortiz does in the pro ranks:

HECTOR TANAJARA TEXAS 13-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/727366 He was US National Champ at 132 pounds in 2015 but turned professional right before US Olympic Trials

FERDINAND KEROBYAN CALIFORNIA 8-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/781258 Finished 4th at US Olympic Trials to eventual USOT winner in Challengers Bracket. Kerobyan was just 18 at the time.

MEIIRIM NURSULTANOV KAZAKHSTAN 6-0 http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/778622 Numerous times Kazakhstan National Champ. Also won 2010 Asian Junior (Under-17) Championships.

[SenorPipino]

That went pretty much as expected.

Ortiz continued to look promising and Salgado continued to look shot to pieces.

[Best Coast]

That went pretty much as expected.

Ortiz continued to look promising and Salgado continued to look shot to pieces.

Tanajara and Kerobyan looked impressive as well, but they didnt show the Nursultanov fight on the streamlink where I watched it. I'm assuming it didnt show up on ESPN2 either...