Vergil Ortiz Sr.: Who Is the Welterweight Sensation’s Father?

Vergil Ortiz Jr. has become a synonymous name in the boxing world, as the welterweight star has sent shock waves with an impeccable run of 16 straight knockouts. After just five years in the professional circuit, the undefeated youngster is on the brink of bagging a title shot. That said, it all goes down to one smart decision that his father, Vergil Ortiz Sr. made.

If not for his father, Ortiz Jr. would have never laced up the gloves. But he found the fire in his childhood as his father walked him down to the gym and boxing center. A young Vergil Ortiz Jr. began training under his father, only to become a sensational prospect in the future.

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Vergil Ortiz Sr. took his son to the gym when he was just 5 and helped him discover his love for boxing, which must have been in his blood. Unlike his son, Ortiz Sr. wasn’t a renowned boxer, but he had competed at the amateur level and had a dream to become a pro.

Unfortunately, Virgil Ortiz Sr. remained an amateur and never entered the professional ride before becoming a boxing trainer. However, he used all his experience and has honed his son throughout. Given the input and dedication, he can be considered as one of the prime reasons behind Vergil Ortiz Jr’s success.

Vergil Ortiz Jr looks back at his first day at the gym with his father

In an interview with ESPN, the Golden Boy Prodigy revealed his first day at the gym with his father and thrilled the fans.

“I thought it was cool and all, but it looked kind of boring at first because they were just hitting the bag. The first day I didn’t really care for it. But the second day there was sparring, and I was like, ‘Oh, cool, they’re fighting!’

So I asked my dad, ‘Hey, can I try it?’ And he said, ‘You want to try it?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I want to try it.’ There was some other 5-year-olds training and they stuck me in there [to spar] with no prior experience, and they said I did pretty good,” said the welterweight sensation.

Even today, Senior continues to guide his son and on fight weeks, the father-son duo is often spotted together. Although Ortiz Jr has his separate team and set of trainers, his father continues to advise him on several aspects.

Fans will hope that this father-son equation continues as Vergil Ortiz Jr aims to ascend to the pinnacle of boxing.

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