At the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 22, the immensely talented Uzbek fighter Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) will return to action and will face the unbeaten, heavy-handed Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) Madrimov vs Ortiz provides plenty of intrigue and belongs on this loaded Riyadh Season card headlined by Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2. The entire event will be available through various PPV platforms. Big Fight Weekend are bringing you a breakdown of Madrimov vs Ortiz for the interim WBC super-welterweight title fight.
Madrimov vs Ortiz: Complete Fight Breakdown
Madrimov and Ortiz Target World Title Shot
The odds for this fight are pretty close, but most bookies seem to have the heavy-handed Ortiz as the favourite.
Ortiz Jr. has had periods of inactivity due to health issues but has won three in a row since his return, including his close majority decision win over Serhii Bohachuk last time out, with the judges scorecards reading 113-113 and 114-112 x2. The Texan fighter showed his grit in this fight to grind out the win despite being knocked down twice.
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Madrimov faced pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford in his last fight, losing a close unanimous decision with the judges scorecards reading 116-112 and 115-113 x2. Ortiz was taken the distance in his last fight for the first time in his professional career.
Madrimov moves his feet exceptionally which enables him to get in and out of range and control the distance effectively during his fights. He can switch stances comfortably and varies his angles of attack. The Uzbek fighter also has impressive head movement making him a difficult target to pin down, as shown in his close battle with “Bud” Crawford.
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Ortiz Jr. is relentless and will not stop coming forward. He will look to unload on Madrimov and slow his movement down. His hand speed is another vital asset of his, and if he can pin his opponent down, his speed and power will make it a painful night for whoever he shares the ring with.
This super welterweight matchup is a true clash of styles. Both fighters are highly skilled, but whoever finds their rhythm first will be tough to stop.
Madrimov vs Ortiz Full Fight Card
Main event: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol – for WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring beltsDaniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker – for IBF heavyweight titleShakur Stevenson vs Flloyd Schofield – for WBC lightweight titleCarlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz – for WBC middleweight titleVergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov – for interim WBC super-welterweight titleZhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel – for interim WBC heavyweight titleJoshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith – for interim WBO light-heavyweight titleMohammed Alakel vs TBAZiyad Almaayouf vs TBA
Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of Madrimov vs Ortiz, including results and video highlights, and post-fight analysis.
