What were you doing when you were 22? I was living in what was ostensibly a crackhouse with two of my best friends just outside of Minneapolis. We had no running water and survived mainly on dollar store beer and the charity of friends who worked in restaurants. Bands practiced in the basement where an uncovered furnace routinely shot large fireballs into the open walkway near the bottom of the stairs. Sewage of all various types crept up out of the exposed drain.
The house, if we wanna call it that, was heated by a large propane tank out back which we almost never remembered to fill. One winter night, the house got so cold that my toothpaste froze. Long underwear, loud music and cheap booze masked the absurdity of it all. A couple months later I was arrested in our front yard for multiple crimes of hilarity and taken to detox for the weekend to dry out. Upon our release the following Monday, my friend that was booked with me demanded we stop at a bar on our way home. We laughed about what a bunch of fuckups we were and drank the night away, not once stopping to notice that we were borderline useless as human beings.
That friend died a year later from a drug overdose.
With youth comes the freedom of fucking up. Of learning on the job. Of doing nothing and trying everything, which I most assuredly did. In all that time though, wanna know what I didn’t do? Fight and confidently defeat a far more experienced former title holder, nine years my senior.
The fact that at 22 years old, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (17-0, 17 KOs) is being mentioned as a viable opponent for Terence “Bud” Crawford, says more about him than any result of that fight even could.
With an undefeated record, a 100% knockout ratio and a devastating highlight reel to match, Ortiz is at that most exciting stage of a future superstar’s career where his potential is matched only by our imaginations. Could he beat a fighter of Crawford’s immense skill level? Absolutely. Would he? It’s not likely. But at this moment Ortiz exists in that place in our minds where anything feels possible.
And there’s nothing more intoxicating than that.
On Saturday night, Ortiz stepped into the ring at The Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas for the biggest test of his career against the highly regarded Maurice Hooker at welterweight on a DAZN televised card.
Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) represented by far the toughest test of Ortiz’s career, and from the outset he aimed to prove he was no mere stepping stone.
Ortiz came out throwing bombs from the opening bell, looking to add to his career-long knockout streak. Hooker, to his credit, weathered the storm without getting flustered and managed to land some impressive shots of his own.
Hooker’s length made getting inside difficult for Ortiz as he attempted to close the distance. A focused body attacked eventually forced Hooker to lower his guard as the pace of the fight picked up.
The trouncing many were expecting never fully materialized as Hooker used his experience to keep the fight at a manageable pace. Ultimately Ortiz’s power would win the day but it was not without a few scary moments. A visibly marked-up Ortiz Jr entered round 6 with the intent of lowering the boom. Toward the end of the round he dropped Hooker with a flurry of punches. Hooker got up and valiantly took the fight to Ortiz but the end was near.
Shortly after the opening bell of round 7, Ortiz landed a thudding right hand which knocked Hooker back and then… to be honest, I still have no idea what the fuck happened. Hooker fell to a knee after a delayed response and then signaled to referee Laurence Cole that his hand was hurt and Cole immediately waved the fight off. It was a somewhat unsatisfying end to a fun fight but Ortiz kept his knockout streak alive and learned a helluva lot in the process. Can’t ask for much more.
Ortiz is clearly a special fighter. How special remains to be seen but with all the bitching boxing fans do (and boy is there a lot) this is the type of fighter everyone claims we want, and need. When asked of the prospect of fighting Crawford next Ortiz replied:
“I don’t care if I’m ready or not,” he added, “I want that fight.”
That’s the attitude that’s missing from this previous generation of fighters, which very much includes Crawford. The desire to test oneself without the fear of failure is a virtue all great fighters share and one that should be applauded by fans who claim to simply want the best fights.
Crawford may be a bridge too far for a 22 year old fighter like Ortiz, but fuck it, let him try. Many prominent voices in the boxing community said the same for Teofimo Lopez as he challenged Vasyl Lomachenko last November and look how that turned out.
Trying and failing is far more valiant than not trying at all. If we want to usher the deep well of young talent this sport is currently blessed with into the future, they have to be given the chance the fuck up. A loss is only a loss if you learn nothing from it.
So as the mantle is passed to the next generation, let’s all step back and remember where we were at 22, 23 and 24 and how we got to where we are now. For most of us it was the freedom we were given to fail. The freedom to fuck up. The freedom to grow and to change and to maximize our potential in a world hell bent on stifling it.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is at the part of his career where promise meets reality. Where potential and payoff collide. He passed his first real test and things are now going to get far more real from here on out.
As he navigates the road toward greatness, let’s pause to remind ourselves that failure is merely a pit stop, not an off ramp. It’s simply part of the journey.
(Photo: Vergil Ortiz Jr., left, celebrates his stoppage of Maurice Hooker; via)
