On Saturday, Vergil Ortiz Jr (16-0, 16 KOs), one of the most exciting prospects in boxing, faces his biggest test yet in former WBO junior welterweight titleholder Maurice Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs).
Ortiz turned pro in 2016 as a super-lightweight and compiled a 11-0 record at the weight including a win over the admittedly far past his best former champion Juan Carlos Salgado. He moved up to welterweight in 2018 and gave gatekeeper Mauricio Herrera and former title challenger Antonio Orozco their first stoppage losses. Hooker also started his career as a super-lightweight and earned the vacant WBO belt by beating Terry Flanagan.