Vergil Ortiz Jr. believes a world title shot against either Errol Spence or Terence Crawford is close

This weekend, in a show that will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN , Vergil Ortiz Jr. returns to the ring after a one year absence to face England's Michael McKinson in a 12-round bout that aims to be the key to opening the door to a world title shot.

The 24-year-old knockout artist was forced to take time out after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis - a disease that breaks down damaged muscles and releases the damaged cells into the blood - but now he intends to pick up where he left off, but this time with a twist.

"It's good and bad to be an undefeated boxer, but for me it's something that doesn't matter too much. And don't get me wrong, on one hand, it's a blessing, but at the same time I feel like a lot of people see me as a reckless punching machine, but that's not who I am. What they don't know is that many of my knockouts come from my intelligence, exploiting the weak points of my opponents and that's what I want them to see from me," said Ortiz, who so far has a record of 18 wins, all 18 by knockout, at a media roundtable.

Both Ortiz and his promotional team know that a world title opportunity is very close, so a mistake at this stage could be fatal to their plans and that is why they see McKinson as no easy pushover.

"There are a lot of people who doubt me, but that's very stupid. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's boxing. Not that it bothers me, but to a certain extent it does, I don't talk a lot, but I think I'm going to have to prove myself again," Ortiz added.

Ortiz revealed that the fact that he spent a year away from boxing served as an engine for this return, saying that the recovery process, even away from the gym, was very complicated.

"Being stuck in my room, without a reason, without providing for my family. I felt like I had no meaning, no purpose, so coming back is really good."