Vergil Ortiz Jr. is back in action this August and it appears he has found a dancing partner. According to multiple sources, the undefeated welterweight contender will share the ring with 33-year-old veteran David Avanesyan in the greater Dallas area.
Ortiz Jr. is currently enduring the longest layoff of his career. After stopping Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas in the eighth round of as 12-round bout in Texas, Ortiz Jr. hoped to fight Michael McKinson in March. Unfortunately, he came down with rhabdomyolysis before the fight and was forced to step out of the fight.
Meanwhile, Avanesyan stopped unbeaten prospect Oskari Metz early in March to earn his sixth straight knockout victory. At 33-years-old, the welterweight veteran has amassed a record of 29-3 with 17 knockouts. He has added a victory against Shane Mosley to his resumé, but he has lost to both Lamont Peterson and the aforementioned Kavaliauskas.
Ortiz Jr. is currently seeking a title shot, but it appears that all of the division’s belts are tied up in a potential bout featuring Errol Spence Jr. and Terrence Crawford. In the meantime, he appears to be fighting the best competition available to him.
