The biggest test of the young career of Vergil Ortiz Jr. against Maurice Hooker now has a location.
Golden Boy Promotions, the promoter of Ortiz, announced that the March 20 welterweight bout would take place from the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The card can will be streamed exclusively worldwide on DAZN. Ortiz and Hooker, who both reside in Dallas, live approximately 32 miles from the venue. Both guys relish the opportunity to fight in front of their hometown fans and put on an exciting contest.
"It's rare that two fighters get to square off in front of their hometown fans, but with Dickies Arena just down the road from where both Vergil and 'Mo' were born, this venue is exactly the right place for this fight," Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman, and CEO of Golden Boy said in a press release.
"With a likely world championship opportunity at stake in front of friends and family, this is a guaranteed action fight to see either in person or on the DAZN app."
Ortiz (16-0, 16 KOs) looks to secure the most significant win to date after plowing through his competition up to this point. In his only bout in 2020, Ortiz beat Samuel Vargas via seventh-round TKO at the end of July.
"I'm very happy to be fighting in front of my friends, family, and fans back at home again," Ortiz said in the release.
"Dickies Arena is a perfect sized venue, and it looks like it will be able to hold a substantial number of fans, so everybody needs to come out and support all the fighters. I'm really hyped for this fight.”
Meanwhile, Hooker (27-1-3) returns from a 15-month layoff. The former WBO junior welterweight champion last fought in December 2019, stopping Uriel Perez via first-round TKO at a catchweight bout of 144 pounds.
"I'm excited to be fighting so close to home where my family, friends, and hometown fans can come out and support my return to the ring," Hooker said.
"With Vergil and I both being from the Dallas area, this is a fight that had to happen in the DFW metroplex. We are going to put on one hell of a show for all of our hometown fans on March 20 at Dickies Arena."