Fight Week: KO artists Vergil Ortiz, Edgar Berlanga return to ring

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FIGHT WEEK

KO artists Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Edgar Berlanga will attempt to keep undefeated on separate playing cards Saturday evening.

When: Saturday, March 19
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (most important occasion later in present)
The place: USC Galen Heart, Los Angeles
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Welterweight
Rounds: 12
At stake: No main titles
Pound-for-pound rating: None
Odds: Ortiz 8½-1 favourite
Additionally on the cardboard: Alexis Rocha vs. Blair Cobbs, welterweights
Prediction: Ortiz KO 10
Background: Ortiz is staying busy till he receives his inevitable shot at a significant 147-pound title. The 23-year-old Texan is coming off a powerful eighth-round knockout of Egidijus Kavaliauskas final August in Frisco, Texas. That was his seventh battle as a welterweight, a run that additionally contains consecutive victories over Brad Solomon, Samuel Vargas and Maurica Hooker. No opponent has gone previous eight rounds towards the previous 140-pound titleholder. He’s ranked within the High 4 by all 4 main sanctioning our bodies, together with No. 1 by the WBC (Errol Spence Jr.) and WBO (Terence Crawford). The unbeaten McKinson has an uncommon document in that he has stopped solely two of his 21 opponents. Nonetheless, the 27-year-old southpaw from England is an effective boxer and athlete with a wonderful proper jab. He additionally final fought in August, when he simply outpointed Przemyslaw Runowski in a 10-rounder in Brentwood, England. McKinson can be making his U.S. debut.

Additionally on the cardboard: Xander Zayas vs. Quincy LaVallais, junior middleweights; John Bauza vs. Tony Luis, junior welterweights
Prediction: Berlanga KO 10
Background: Berlanga obtained off to a outstanding begin in his profession, stopping his first 16 opponents within the first spherical, however he has appeared human in his final two outings. Demond Nicholson took the 24-year-old New Yorker the eight-round distance in April of final yr, though Berlanga won easily. Then, in his first 10-rounder final October, he survived a knockdown in Spherical 9 to win a unanimous-decision victory over surprisingly stubborn Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Berlanga is ranked No. 6 by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBA, that means a title shot is on the horizon if he continues to win. Rolls may also take a look at Berlanga. The 37-year-old Canadian is finest recognized for getting blown out in 4 rounds by Gennadiy Golovkin – his solely elite foe – in June 2019 however he’s a well-schooled boxer-puncher who ought to give Berlanga some resistance. Rolls rebounded from the loss to Triple-G by stopping Gilberto Perez dos Santos in January 2020 and Christopher Brooker this previous December.

Additionally combating this week:

THURSDAY

Cem Kilic (15-1, 10 KOs) of Germany will tackle Antonio Hernandez (6-12-2, 4 KOs) of Kansas Metropolis, Kansas, in an excellent middleweight battle in Montebello, California (UFC Combat Go).

SATURDAY

IBF flyweight titleholder Sunny Edwards (17-0, 4 KOs) of England will defend his title towards Muhammad Waseem (12-1, 8 KOs) of Pakistan in Dubai (no U.S. TV). Additionally, Regis Prograis (26-1, 22 KOs) of New Orleans will face Tyrone McKenna (22-2-1, 6 KOs) of Northern Eire in a junior welterweight battle.
Masamichi Yabuki (13-3, 12 KOs) of Japan will defend his WBC junior flyweight belt towards countryman Kenshiro Teraji (18-1, 10 KOs) in Kyoto (no U.S. TV).

Yamileth Mercado (18-3, 5 KOs) of Mexico will defend her WBC junior featherweight title towards countrywoman Zulina Munoz (53-4-2, 30 KOs) in Mexico (no U.S. TV).

Australian Sam Soliman (47-16-1, 19) will face countryman Jesse White (6-2, 0 KOs) in a middleweight bout in Melbourne, Australia (FITE).
Jacob Ng (15-0, 11 KOs) will tackle Billy Dib (47-6, 27 KOs) in a light-weight battle of Australians in Broadbeach, Australia (FITE).