Robert Garcia reckons Vergil Ortiz Jnr-Israil Madrimov ‘will steal the night’

Trainer Robert Garcia was surprised that his fighter, Vergil Ortiz Jnr, had found himself in a fight with Israil Madrimov, but nonetheless he is anticipating they will steal the show on Saturday.

The junior middleweights will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a fine clash that makes up part of the huge Last Crescendo showpiece event, but Garcia had anticipated his fighter could go in another direction until the Madrimov bout was sealed. 

“It was a surprise for us, too, because we were pretty much already set to fight [Jaron] ‘Boots’ Ennis. We were already getting ready for Boots, but he decided to stay at 147, and right away we got a call that we would fight Madrimov and we had nothing much but to say yes, because that’s what Vergil wants,” Garcia told the BoxingScene Talk Show. “He wants all the big fights. He wants all the big names and he’s in great shape for this fight.”

Ortiz most recently took on Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas in August in a Fight of the Year contender, but Garcia insists that his fighter wants to fight all of the best possible opponents at 154lbs.

“For fighters like Madrimov, they’re awkward, they’re difficult, European style, but Vergil is a type of fighter that is always ready for anybody,” Garcia added. “There were other choices and other options, but when we gave that name, right away Vergil and his dad were, ‘That’s the guy we wanna fight, because we want to fight the best.’
“That guy had a great performance against Terence Crawford, so now we’re gonna go out there and do our job.”  

Ortiz has said this week in Saudi Arabia that he might look to move up in the future, and his coach reiterated those possible plans, although they said that would depend on the opportunity rather than having to move. They make 154 just fine, they have both said.

“He’s very happy to be in this division because he knows the hard fights are there, how many fights he can get after another,” said Garcia. “That’s why he prepares himself. He’s ready to fight everybody and he prepares for each fight like it’s the biggest fight of his career. … He wants everybody, and sooner or later he will probably go up to 160 and challenge all the 160lbs, too.”

Garcia, too, believes that at the end of the huge card on Saturday, it will be Ortiz and Madrimov whom people will be left talking about most.

“The card is so good that every fight could be the main event,” said Garcia. “But I do believe that Vergil and Madrimov will steal the night. They will put up the best fight.”