IT is astonishing, really, that the mouth-watering matchup between Vergil Ortiz Jr and Israil Madrimov this Saturday has flown almost criminally far below the radar.
Then again, with such a stacked card taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it is perhaps difficult to give each fight the attention it deserves.
But while it may, indeed, be the greatest card of all time – as most have proposed – the show could quite easily be stolen by what promises to deliver a compelling battle between two of the sport’s most elite super-welterweight contenders.
Since moving up to 154lbs, Ortiz, 22-0 (21 KOs), has looked a rejuvenated version of his former self, perhaps no longer carrying the same ferocious power but still possessing a formidable repertoire of attacks.
Offensively, there is very little room for improvement, with the 26-year-old establishing himself as one of the most prolific body punchers in all of boxing while often finding a home for his ramrod jab.
In his last outing against Serhii Bohachuk, though, several of Ortiz’s defensive frailties were put on display.
The first knockdown arrived in round one, when the American began to back pedal from an exchange but, in doing so, carelessly left himself open to a right hand over the top.
Then in round eight, Ortiz got caught by a sharp counter left hook just as he was closing the distance, marching into range with a leaky guard.
And yet, on both occasions, the unbeaten puncher sprung back to his feet, seemingly remaining undeterred by his opponent’s potent artillery.
Not only that, but Ortiz continued to dish out heavy bombs in the heat of battle, showing that he can maintain a remarkably high punch output even after climbing off the canvas.
Madrimov, 10-1-1 (7 KOs), meanwhile, has in many ways proven to be the more versatile operator.
As he explodes into range, the formidable Uzbek is tremendously difficult to defend against, often entering the pocket at wide angles to hand his eye-catching flurries.
This, of course, is something that Magomed Kurbanov swiftly discovered in their encounter last March, when Madrimov claimed his WBA title with an emphatic fifth-round stoppage victory.
Against pound-for-pound Terence Crawford, however, the 30-year-old was forced to display his technical prowess and, in that particular clash of styles, his dynamic footwork proved to be both defensively and offensively proficient.
In that sense, losing to ‘Bud’ by the finest of margins was an achievement in itself, taking nothing away from Madrimov’s credentials at world level.
But equally, Ortiz has proven that he, too, is well-versed at making adjustments within the 12-round distance, and while it is tempting to sit firmly on the fence, his performance against Bohachuk would suggest that, against ‘The Dream,’ he could somehow find a way to edge what should be a fiercely contested decision.
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