Vergil Ortiz, the WBC interim super-welterweight champion, wants to fight Terence Crawford and Jaron Ennis. He's ready to prove himself against these top fighters and give fans the matchups they're asking for.
Ortiz will face Israil Madrimov in Saudi Arabia this February. But he's already looking ahead to bigger challenges. In a recent statement, Ortiz made it clear he's not picking favorites when it comes to his next opponents.
"Honestly, I want them both. I really do. I think those are some great fights to be made and, like I said, I don't want to fight people cause I have beef with them, I think they're good fighters. I would like to prove himself and I know the fans want those fights. It kind of makes me that much more motivated and excited to be in those kind of fights."
Ortiz's statement comes after talks for a fight with Jaron Ennis fell through. Ennis, the IBF welterweight champion, didn't want to give up his belt to move up to 154lbs. In November, Ennis defended his title for the second time, beating Karen Chukhadzhian by unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Terence Crawford added another belt to his collection in August. He narrowly defeated Israil Madrimov to become WBA super-welterweight champion, making him a four-weight world champion.
Crawford has weighed in on the situation between Ortiz and Ennis. He's shared his thoughts on whether Ennis avoided fighting Ortiz.
Fans have been talking about a potential Crawford vs Ennis fight for the past year. Now, with Ortiz throwing his hat in the ring, the 154lbs division is heating up. Will we see Ortiz vs Crawford or a rescheduled Ortiz vs Ennis fight? Only time will tell, but Ortiz is ready for either challenge.
