About a year ago, Vergil Ortiz had trouble getting out of bed or climbing into the tub.
The 25-year-old welterweight competitor’s problems were symptoms of rhabdomyolysis and a prolonged course of COVID that weakened his muscles and disrupted his career, even though he she has recovered enough to stop Michael McKinson in August.
“Imagine having trouble doing everyday tasks,” Ortiz told Boxing Junkie.
Well, Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) is finally 100% healthy — for the first time in about three years, he said — and is ready to continue her pursuit of the top 147-pound weight class and a spot among them. the best boxers in the table- for-pound.
That started with arguably the biggest fight of his career, a meeting with undefeated second-tier owner Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania on Saturday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio (DAZN).
“I haven’t felt this good in a very long time. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era of feeling good,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz points out that all boxers face aches and pains during their training camp. It is an inevitable challenge in the most extreme sports, a challenge they must overcome if they are to succeed.
However, when you’re dealing with something like rhabdomyolysis, which causes unusual muscle pain and fatigue, and persistent COVID, which attacks the respiratory system, it can be devastating to a boxer.
He now appreciates how good health makes working out easier.
“You know what? It really feels like that,” he said. “I can breathe better, I can get through it more easily. It feels good to do that. … Now I have a It’s like when you go to another country and you realize how good you have it back home.
“I am not another fighter, I am the same person. I just see a big difference [being healthy].”
Better yet, Ortiz should be at his best against Stanionis (14-0.9 KO).
The 28-year-old former Olympic athlete doesn’t have the firepower of a knock-out fighter like Ortiz but he is a well-trained boxer and seems unusually strong and durable. He is considered a few to any opponent.
And Ortiz says he has no choice. He wanted to face a real challenge, not a push, for the WBA’s secondary “world” title, something Boxing Junkie didn’t realize.
“It was definitely a big fight,” he said. “My first world title fight. And I have a strong and tough opponent. That’s what I want if I win the title. I don’t want to put anyone down but if it was someone who wasn’t really there, I wouldn’t feel like I’d earned it.
If all goes well, the next step will be to win a big title.
Of course, he is paying close attention to the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr super fight. to win the undisputed 147-pound weight class championship on July 29. Ortiz will be a front-runner to face anyone who raises their hand.
And if that’s not on the cards right away, he has other good options. Deep division.
However, Ortiz did not want to get ahead of himself. As he said, “I have to get over this guy first.”
