Vergil Ortiz remains perfect.
The hard-punching welterweight contender from Dallas stopped Michael McKinson in the ninth round Saturday night at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, giving Ortiz 19 knockouts in as many fights.
McKinson, a tricky boxer from England, was competitive for most of the fight. However, Ortiz gradually closed the distance and began to land heavy punches in the second half of the scheduled 12-rounder.
The beginning of the end was a left to the body that forced McKinson (22-1, 2 KOs) to drop to all fours with about 30 seconds remaining in Round 8.
McKinson danced the rest of the round to survive until the bell and was able to come out for Round 9. He didn’t last long, though. In the first few seconds Ortiz landed another punch to the same spot and McKinson dropped again.
Again he got up and continued to fight, but his trainer signaled to the referee that he wanted the fight stopped and he complied.
The official time of the stoppage was 27 seconds into the ninth round.
The victory is another step toward the 24-year-old Ortiz’s immediate goal, to fight for a major welterweight title. He’s ranked in the Top 3 of all four major sanctioning bodies. So his time is coming.
