Vergil Ortiz should not face Terence Crawford according to Jeff Mayweather.
The undefeated star was looking to cement his name as a potential challenger to Crawford’s 154lbs WBC belt, and did so with a win over Serhii Bohachuk.
But it was far from routine with the favourite dropped twice in the first and eighth rounds en route to a narrow majority decision win on the judges’ scorecards.
A clash with Crawford was a fight many fans were calling for after the seeming collapse of Bud’s showdown with Canelo Alvarez.
But the trainer and uncle of Floyd Mayweather, is certain that Crawford would beat Ortiz after watching his latest performance.
“I see Crawford is a better fighter. I don’t know if Crawford felt his [Israil Madrimov] power or if he had heard about his power,” he said.
“I think what I saw tonight from both of these guys [Ortiz and Bohachuk] are great for one another to make a great fight.
“I think Crawford is on a totally different level [than Ortiz]. But Crawford didn’t fight the way he normally fights.
“I just think Crawford is much better than him. Not a little bit. Much better than both of those guys [Ortiz and Bohachuk] I seen tonight.
“Get a rematch [with Bohachuk]. I think so. A rematch will help him [Vergil] too.”
A sequel with Bohachuk could be on the cards, given how close the cards were, with many even edging Ortiz’s rival at the final bell.
Crawford will now assess his own options after beating Israil Madrimov to capture the super-welterweight crown, a title in a fourth different weight class.
He will be of course be in demand, with the winner of Sebastian Fundora’s proposed clash with Errol Spence also likely to pursue Crawford.
But Ortiz’s trainer Robert Garcia is hopeful a deal can be reached, particularly given the interest of Saudi boxing chief HE Turki Alalshikh.
He said: “That’s the fight that we’ll be after. That’s the fight that we would like, and hopefully Rick Mirigian [Ortiz’s manager], Golden Boy Promotions, Turki Alalshikh, hopefully they put it together.
“Hopefully Crawford also is okay with the fight. I don’t know what his plans are. He’s chasing a Canelo fight. I don’t know if he’ll get that.
“He might get it. I don’t know. So we also have to see what the plans are for him.
“The rematch is something we could also consider. It was a great fight. It was a very close fight. So definitely, if the offer’s there and Crawford’s not available, then why not rematch?
“Definitely Serhii deserves a rematch. He fought his ass off, too. He came in and surprised the world.”
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News Summary:
- Vergil Ortiz urged to avoid Terence Crawford fight after by Floyd Mayweather’s uncle after being dropped twice in win
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