VERGIL ORTIZ dug deep against Israil Madrimov to claim the best win of his career to date.
The 26-year-old racked up the early rounds and then had to hold firm as the once-beaten Uzbek turned up the heat down the stretch.
And Ortiz was eventually rewarded for his workmanlike performance by all three judges, with Kevin Parker scoring him a big 117-111 winner while both Guido Cavalleri and Barry Lindenman had it closer at 115-113.
A bloodied Ortiz said: “I’m very happy. This was expected, I knew I was the better fighter. I knew he was here to win and to prove himself after a loss.
“I had to stay patient and not over throw. I knew I would have to be smart. The key was to stay composed and not to get excited because I love to fight.”
Both men had been out of the ring since August but it was Madrimov who was looking to bounce back from his first career defeat.
On August 3 in Los Angeles, he had been beaten on points by Terence Crawford but had impressed despite dropping a UD. A week later, in Las Vegas, Ortiz beat Serhii Bohachuk via majority decision but was dropped twice during the fight and went the distance for the first time.
It meant that this clash, officially for the interim WBC title at 154lbs, was full of intrigue and arguably the most evenly matched showdown on the undercard in Riyadh.
The fight settled pretty quickly into a clear pattern; Ortiz on the front foot behind a high guard, controlling centre ring with his stiff jab while the languid Madrimov was happy to circle round the outside, all loose shoulders and low hands.
Ortiz was feinting well with both hands, attempting to trigger Madrimov and work off the counter but the 30-year-old Uzbek was refusing to bite. As such, there was very little to report from the first third of the fight, although Ortiz appeared to be doing enough to nick the uneventful rounds.
Ortiz raised a fist in celebration at the end of the sixth but it had been an even round. In the corner, his trainer Robert Garcia said: “Drown his ass, but do it in a smart way and don’t make any mistakes.”
But there was no wave incoming, with Madrimov proving to be his usual elusive self. Even so, it was still the Texan who was the one landing the more successful punches with that jab regularly piercing his opponent’s guard.
Perhaps sensing the rounds passing him by, Madrimov sprung into life late in the eighth and began to let his hands go. Most of the shots landed on gloves, however, and Ortiz responded by turning in a very good ninth round which he won clearly.
In turn, Madrimov responded by raising the tempo throughout the 10th, which he spent piling on the pressure. He was looking to land a looping overhand right but Ortiz was equal to everything he threw, tucking up safely behind a solid guard.
Again Madrimov turned the screw in the 11th and for the first time the 26-year-old Ortiz was forced to back up for the first time in the fight, although he was always looking to counter. At one point, Madrimov over threw with a left hook so badly that he nearly did a full 360.
In the 12th round, referee Kieran McCann gave Madrimov a final warning for persistent use of the head but stopped short of deducting a point. In the end it mattered little as Ortiz had done enough to win on all three cards.
