- Vergil Ortiz Jr. has opened as the heavy -650 betting favorite against former world champion David Avanesyan.
- Avanesyan hit the opening betting boards at +420 odds, the longest of his pro boxing career.
- Ortiz and Avanesyan are booked to fight on August 6th at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. will have the backing of the best boxing sportsbooks when he returns to the ring after a medical scare last March.
According to the top boxing betting sites, the undefeated rising star is a heavy -650 betting favorite when he faces former world champion David Avanesyan (+420) on August 6th at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
David Avanesyan (+420)
Vergil Ortiz Jr (-650)https://t.co/I4Rbf3yStl— ProBoxingOdds (@ProBoxingOdds) May 27, 2022
Ortiz was supposed to fight Michael McKinson last March but fell ill on fight week and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissues that releases the damaging protein myoglobin into the blood. Now fully recovered, Ortiz looks to continue his march to boxing superstardom in another big test.
Ortiz Overcomes Adversity to Stop Egidijus Kavaliauskas
Vergil Ortiz Jr overcomes adversity to stop Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the eighth: Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr 18-0 (18) overcame a rocky start to stop Egidijus ‘Mean Machine’ Kavaliauskas 22-2-1 (18) in eight rounds at the Ford Center at The… https://t.co/MfWsvq6a1C pic.twitter.com/pTfHtZjtH4
— Ringnews24 🥊 (@ringnews24) August 15, 2021
Ortiz retained his WBO international welterweight title when he overcame adversity to stop former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the 8th round of their August 14, 2021 bout. After Kavaliauskas had early success, Ortiz took over in the middle rounds and dropped his opponent four times in the 8th round before the bout was stopped.
The win was Ortiz’s 18th straight as a professional fighter without a loss. All of his 18 wins have come via knockout including 12 inside four rounds. The 24-year-old prospect from Grand Prairie, Texas is a former seven-time national champion and a 2013 junior Olympics winner as an amateur. Known for his punching power, Ortiz was named The Ring’s 2019 Prospect of the Year. He owns notable wins over Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco, Samuel Vargas, and former world champion Maurice Hooker.
Ortiz has been the darling of the oddsmakers throughout his young professional boxing career. Before his upcoming bout with Avanesyan, he has not opened with odds longer than the -833 he was pegged at for his bout with Antonio Orozco. Ortiz has also closed at odds better than -1000 in all of his 18 bouts.
Avanesyan Cruises to Victory Over Oskari Metz
OVER IN THE FIRST ROUND! 💥
David Avanesyan cruises to victory over Oskari Metz 🔥#AvanesyanMetz pic.twitter.com/B4UoEivXGB
— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) March 19, 2022
Avanesyan meanwhile, successfully defended his European welterweight title for the fifth time with an easy first round knockout win over Oskari Metz last March 19th at the SSE Arena in London. Since losing to Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2018, Avavnesyan has won six consecutive bouts, all via stoppage.
The 33-year-old Russian won the interim WBA (regular) welterweight title by defeating Charlie Navaro in 2015. After defeating Shane Mosley in his first title defense, Avanesyan was promoted to full champion status but was beaten by Lamont Peterson in his next bout. Overall, Avanesyan has an impressive record of 29-3 with 17 knockouts.
This marks the 4th time in his last seven bouts that Avanesyan has seen the plus money sign written next to his name. Avanesyan was the +400 underdog when he defeated Kerman Lejarraga in their first bout and was the +600 bottom dog when he knocked out Josh Kelly in February 2021. Avanesyan was also listed at +575 when he was stopped by Kavaliauskas.
