Vergil Ortiz Jr. experienced his toughest test as a boxer when he faced battle-tested Egidijus Kavaliauskas Saturday night in Frisco, Texas. Ortiz passed the test, but not before the “Mean Machine” presented him with the first real adversity of his 18 fight career.
The Lithuanian-born Kavaliauskas landed the first big punch of the fight in the second round. The Mean Machine landed a right uppercut that stunned Ortiz. Kavaliauskas followed with an attack that sent Ortiz to the canvas for an apparent knockdown. However, referee Laurence Cole ruled a slip.
The Machine carried the torrid attack into the third round. Ortiz matched his firepower and scored the first official knockdown of the fight with a two-punch combination as the third round came to a close.
The action went back and forth until Virgil Ortiz Jr. showed his full arsenal in the eighth round. Ortiz sent Mean Machine to the canvas midway through round eight with a left hand to the body. The subsequent attack sent Ortiz to the canvas again less than a minute later.
Ortiz scored the fourth knockdown of the fight with 20 seconds left in the eight-round. The flurry that followed sent Mean Machine down again a few seconds later, and Cole finally called an end to the action.
“It could have been prettier,” Ortiz explained in the immediate aftermath of the fight. But “I am ready for Crawford, Spence, or Pacquiao.”
Ortiz has expressed his desire to fight WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford in the past. “They love throwing my name around,” Crawford responded to the most recent call-out via Twitter.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. gained valuable experience while securing his 18th knockout in 18 professional fights. Fans are waiting to see which top-tier welterweights will be the first to accept the challenge from the fast-rising star.