Vergil Ortiz Jr. bests Maurice Hooker after busting his arm for round 7 TKO

Vergil Ortiz Jr. stayed undefeated in the toughest test of his career against Maurice Hooker and kept his KO streak rolling along. 

Former boxing champion Maurice Hooker gave Vergil Ortiz Jr. his toughest fight, but it wasn’t enough to last against the young contender.

Ortiz Jr. (17-0, 17 KOs) kept his undefeated record and 100 percent KO rating intact after stopping Hooker in round 7. Hooker didn’t make it easy, but Ortiz’s power and body shots were too much for Hooker to handle.

Ortiz and Hooker were both born in Dallas, Texas, and gave the fans at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth a show. Even though both men were from the same area, Ortiz had the crowd on his side before the opening bell.

Ortiz is only 22 years old but was an amateur standout who won 7 national championships. He turned professional at 18 years old and is one of the crown jewels of Golden Boy Promotions. Coming into his Saturday, March 20 showdown with Hooker, Ortiz had wins over good boxers like Samuel Vargas and Mauricio Herrera, but Hooker was a step up.

Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs) won the WBO junior welterweight title in 2018 by out-pointing Terry Flanagan. He defended his title twice before losing it to Jose Ramirez in 2019 by TKO in round 6.

Round 6 proved to be Hooker’s Achilles heel once again.

Ortiz and Hooker didn’t waste any time getting into a slugfest in round 1. There was no feeling out as both fighters tried to hurt the other. Hooker boxed well on the outside, but Ortiz applied constant pressure.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. focused on body punching, and he chopped down the taller Maurice Hooker for the TKO win.

Ortiz won the first two rounds, but Hooker boxed well on the outside in rounds 3 and 4. He looked like a more strategic boxer under the guidance of new cornerman Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre, who is also Terence Crawford’s and Jamel Herring’s trainer.

As good as Hooker looked, Ortiz was even better. In round 5, Ortiz targeted Hooker’s body with left hooks that took a lot out of him. In his corner before round 6, Hooker could be heard telling McIntyre that he couldn’t breathe.

In round 6, Hooker got dropped by a left hook to the body and two right hands to the head from Ortiz. Hooker got up and lasted the round, but he was on borrowed time.

In round 7, Ortiz went to the body again with his left hook and followed with a strong right cross to Hooker’s head. Hooker turned away and took a knee while clutching his right arm. The referee stopped the fight giving Ortiz the round 7 TKO.

Hooker explained after the fight that his right hand was busted up. Ortiz’s hooks appeared to hurt Hooker’s hand and arm, or it could have been Hooker’s last right hook that caused a break, but either way, it was impossible for him to continue.

After the fight, Ortiz took the opportunity to call out Crawford, who is the WBO welterweight champion. Ortiz looked like a top-tier welterweight against Hooker, but Crawford is under contract with Top Rank, making a cross-promotional deal less likely. Still, Ortiz looks like a future world champion in the making.