Vergil Ortiz Jr. is well aware of a segment of boxing fans criticizing his level of competition.
"In my opinion I think that most of the criticism that I get as a fighter is that I haven't fought anyone," Ortiz said in a recent episode of Camp House on Golden Boy's YouTube page. "I only fought 'Mean Machine' (Egidijus Kavaliauskas) who gave [Terence] Crawford the hardest fight of his life. I fought [Maurice] Hooker who was a 140 [lbs] world champion. For people to say that, it's whatever. It goes through one ear and out the other ear."
However, Ortiz feels like him challenging WBC interim super welterweight world champion Serhii Bohachuk on Saturday night, live on DAZN, is the fight that will silence naysayers and be the game-changing bout of his career.
"They can no longer say that I haven't fought anyone with the pedigree or someone who can't hit," Ortiz said about the Bohachuk fight. "When I beat this guy who pretty much won all his fights by knockout, they're going to come up with the reason to say something but in reality they got nothing else to say."
Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) has had a busy 2024 thus far, having defeated Fredrick Lawson in January and Thomas Dulorme in April — both via first-round knockout. Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) presents an aggressive, rugged style to Ortiz that he thinks he can benefit from.
"But this is the fight that's going to remind people who I am," Ortiz vowed. "It's going to remind people that no one can beat me.
"I think this is the fight right here that puts everyone on notice and shows that I'm the best in boxing."
Ortiz especially believes that holds true for the super welterweight division.
He added: "We have world champions at 154, you know they're world champions for a reason. I think if I faced all of them tomorrow, I think I beat them all."
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