The WBC has ordered 147-lb title eliminator between #1 Vergil Ortiz Jr. and #3 David Avanesyan to determine the mandatory challenger for WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.
It’s another tough fight for the unbeaten 23-year-old Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs), who is coming off an eighth round knockout win over former welterweight world title challenger Egidijus ‘Mean Machine’ Kavaliauskas on August 14th.
Facing the 33-year-old Avanesyan (28-3-1, 16 KOs) could prove to be the most brutal match yet for the Golden Boy Promoted fighter.
It’s unclear if Avanesyan’s management will agree to the fight with Ortiz because they’re already in a good position, with David ranked #6 with the WBO.
It might make sense for Avanesyan to sit back and wait for an eventual crack at WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford rather than take a risky fight with Vergil.
Avanesyan is coming off a second round knockout win over Liam Taylor last month on October 2nd at the Wembley Arena in London, England.
Before that, Avanesyan stopped previously unbeaten 2016 Olympian Josh Kelly in the sixth round last February.
Avaneysan has looked like a different fighter entirely since losing to ‘Mean Machine Kavaliauskas by a sixth round knockout three years ago in February 2018.
Since that fight, the Russian Avanesyan has turned into a knockout puncher overnight and has stopped his last five opponents. These are the guys Avanesyan has knocked out:
Kerman Lejarraga – TKO 9
Josh Kelly – TKO 6
Kerman Lejarraga – TKO 1
Jose Del Rios – KO 1
Liam Taylor – TKO 2
It’s too bad Avanesyan couldn’t fight ‘Mean Machine Kavaliauskas in a rematch right now because that would be interesting to see if he’s improved enough to avenge his knockout loss from three years ago.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is ranked #1 WBO and #2 WBA, which puts him in the position to challenge WBO champion Terence Crawford or WBA champion Yordenis Ugas.
Depending on which title Ortiz wants to go after, it might be better for him to steer clear of the dangerous puncher Avanesyan because he doesn’t need him to get a title shot. He’s in a prime position to challenge Ugas or Crawford for their belts.
Crawford is fighting at a high level right now, and that would be a tough fight for Vergil Ortiz Jr. if he were to challenge him in 2022. We’ll see if Shawn Porter can put some mileage on Crawford in their fight this Saturday night.
Crawford hasn’t had many brutal fights during his career, thanks to the soft match-making bone done on his behalf by his promoters at Tip Rank. Vergil would be a tough fight for Crawford if he could stay around into the championship rounds to put hands on him.
Dillian Whyte had his chance to fight for the title when Deontay Wilder told him that if he beat Luis Ortiz he would get a title shot. Now it’s too late, there’s no way fury will fight Dillian Whyte.