WBC interim super-welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. will be targeting a world title shot later this year, but first the unbeaten American must get past the challenge of Israil Madrimov.
The highly-rated 26-year-old Ortiz had to dig deep after he was knocked down twice against Serhii Bohachuk in Saudi Arabia last year. Meanwhile, Madrimov looks likely to provide another stiff examination of the Texas-born boxer’s credentials.
The Uzbekistan fighter lost via decision to elite-level performer Terrence Crawford last time out, but The Dream certainly put up a strong performance in that contest and will be determined to get back to winning ways.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov is set to be part of the 'Last Crescedo' Riyadh Season boxing event on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
There are seven huge fights on the Riyadh card and Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov is likely to be one of the first bouts to get underway.
A scheduled fight time has not yet been announced, but it's expected that the bout will start at around 4 PM ET.
The full Riyadh Season staged event, including Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov, will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The state-of-the-art, purpose-built venue has already housed some of boxing's biggest fights of all time and the arena staged the colossal Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 heavyweight event.
The venue will once again play host to the light-heavyweight battle between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol and the setting has become the go-to boxing stage.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov, and the entire 'Last Crescendo' card, will be screened live on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. | -125 ML |
Israil Madrimov | +100 ML |
Vergil Ortiz Jr's WBC interim super-welterweight title will be up for grabs when Israil Madrimov challenges for the strap.
The belt itself carries little substance, but it’s a useful tool when it comes to climbing the rankings and landing a world title shot.
Madrimov has previously challenged Terrance Crawford for the WBA and WBO full titles and Ortiz will be looking towards a bout against Bud later this year.
22-0 (21 KOs)
Vergil Ortiz Jr. has enjoyed a swift rise through the professional ranks and the knockout power of the Texan has caught the eye.
The 26-year-old has a perfect 22-0 record and 21 of those victories have come by stoppage.
Ortiz stepped up to beat Antonio Orozco in 2019 and destructive victories over Maurice Hooker, Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Michael McKinson followed.
The American became a fringe world-level fighter and in 2024, he took down Serhii Bohachuk.
The 26-year-old eventually secured a majority-decision victory over the Ukrainian, but Ortiz twice hit the canvas in that bout. While the American has demonstrated so much power in his career, he looked vulnerable to a fighter who could hit back.
10-1-1 (7 KOs)
Israil Madrimov is a former top-level amateur fighter and the 29-year-old hasn’t hung around long in the paid ranks.
The Uzbekistan boxer brings a record of 10-1-1 to the ring, and while that’s less than ideal for a rising fighter, The Dream has been very competitively matched.
Madrimov has faced Michel Soro twice, as well as Magomed Kurbanov and Terrance Crawford in his short professional career. The win over Kurbanov and defeat to Crawford show Madrimov to be a very capable performer.
Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.