Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Thomas Dulorme Preview

Vergil Ortiz Jr (20-0, 20 KOs) will face Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight showdown at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, on April 27 as the co-main, scheduled to take place before Jose Ramirez vs Rances Barthelemy.The Golden-Boy promoted card will be televised on DAZN worldwide.

Undefeated Ortiz does not seem far away from his first world title fight at 154 pounds, with a shot at the WBA interim title on the line against Tim Tszyu on August 3 if he comes through victorious and uninjured against Dulorme. Ortiz returns to the ring following his emphatic first-round knockout against Fredrick Lawson in Las Vegas in January.The 26-year-old won the 2013 Junior Olympics, a seven-time national amateur champion, and the 2019 Ring Magazine Prospect of the Year.

Ortiz’s most significant professional career victories to date are a seventh-round stoppage of Samuel Vargas in July 2020, a seventh-round knockout of Maurice Hooker in March 2021, and an eighth-round stoppage of Egidijus Kavaliauskas in August 2021. After constant health issues, which have resulted in a pair of lengthy layoffs of 12 and 17 months, Ortiz will continue his comeback trail against Dulorme. He was forced to pull out of a March 2022 showdown against Michael McKinson, then fought and stopped McKinson in August of 2022. Ortiz was forced to withdraw from a July 2023 fight against Eimantas Stanionis.

The 26-year-old Dallas native was a welterweight prospect turned contender but has since moved up to super wleterweight to maintain his health. In his comeback fight against Lawson, Ortiz did not get enough ring time to shake off the rust.

This will be Thomas Dulorme’s first fight since he stopped Abrahan Peralta in the Dominican Republic in July 2022. Dulorme’s most significant fights to date were against Terence Crawford for the vacant WBO super lightweight title in April 2015, suffering a sixth-round stoppage loss as Crawford picked up his first title in his historic 140lbs undisputed run. Dulorme suffered a first-round knokcout loss to Jaron Ennis in October 2021 as Ennis continued his rise to the top of the sport.

Dulorme was once a prospect at 140 and 147 pounds who never seemed to reach his expected heights. He is now (1-3) in his last four fights. The three losses are to top fighters in Jamal James, Stanionis, Ennis and the win is against a guy Dulorme will have always been expected to beat. Dulorme has no history of boxing at 154 pounds. Ortiz does not have much history there either, except the difference is that Dulorme has not been successful as a welterweight in recent times. How much does the 34-year-old have left? Suspicions are “not much”.

If Ortiz beats Dulorme, which is expected, Ortiz will meet Tszyu on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimovundercard on August 3rd. This would be a high-quality, action-packed slugfest and a real step up for Ortiz.

Dulorme, of course, is not a slouch. He’s a capable fighter. However, his career has shown us that he is not an elite operator, and this fight will give us a better indication of where Ortiz stands in a suddenly flourishing super welterweight division. If Ortiz is the fighter we have all been led to believe, he should clearly win this.

Ortiz always brings the heat, applying pressure, and the likelihood is that as long as he comes in good health, he can win early here to move on to that tantalizing match-up against Tszyu.

The only questions surrounding this fight have not been whether Ortiz will get the win. The only doubts have been surrounding his physical condition and whether his body would break down during training or the weight cut. With the August match-up on the horizon, indications are that Ortiz is comfortable enough at his new weight and is managing well.

On the occasions when Dulorme has stepped up to the elite level, or anywhere close, he was stopped in six rounds by Crawford and in one by Ennis. A win by Ortiz in similar fashion, within the first half of the fight, should be expected to be on the cards.