Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs Maurice Hooker Odds and Pick
- Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs Maurice Hooker goes Saturday, March 20th, 2021 at 9 PM EST
- Who will fill the vacancy for the WBO international welterweight throne?
- Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below
Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Maurice Hooker will throw down at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker broadcasts on DAZN.
The vacant WBO international welterweight championship is on the line in this prizefight.
There are a lot of rumblings surrounding this bout in regards to the winner getting a fight with pound-for-pound ranked welterweight king Terence Crawford.
While a significant WBO strap is on the line here, it could also serve to vault the winner of Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker towards a crack at Crawford’s WBO world title.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs Maurice Hooker Odds
| Fighter | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Vergil Ortiz Jr. | -1667 |
| Maurice Hooker | +675 |
Odds as of Mar. 17
This contest is a rare instance of both fighters getting to compete in their hometown as Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Maurice Hooker both hail from Dallas.
Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s Path to 17-0
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is a hugely exciting prospect who has yet to taste defeat and has a one hundred percent KO rate across sixteen pro victories.
This Hooker fight is one that Ortiz Jr. has been mapping out for a couple of years now, and it’s finally coming to fruition.
Ortiz Jr.’s last outing saw him stop Samuel Vargas via seventh-round KO to capture the WBA Gold welterweight belt in their July prizefight.
While Ortiz Jr. has been a human highlight reel so far, this Hooker bout represents a marked step up in competition for him.
Maurice Hooker’s Championship Resume
Maurice Hooker is the former WBO junior welterweight champion and brings a wealth of elite experience to the ring with him.
Still though, the veteran Maurice Hooker is constantly looking to add even more nuance to his game and has surrounded himself with a different camp for this fight.
Hooker’s last bout saw him put away Uriel Perez in the opening round of their December 2019 clash.
These 147 pounders are positioned against one another in what is a compelling crossroads fight.
Hooker enters this bout with a cartoonish ten-inch reach advantage over Ortiz Jr. A weird factor to consider when in terms of body density/musculature, you’d think Ortiz Jr. would be favored in that regard since he has fought in heavier weight categories.
There is value in Hooker’s deep resume and experience, but his fifteen-month layoff is a hard facet to ignore in this contest.
Ortiz Jr. vs Hooker Tale of the Tape
| 16-0 | Record | 27-1-3 |
| 16 | Knockouts | 18 |
| 5’10 | Height | 5’11 |
| 70″ | Reach | 80″ |
| Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon | Significant Wins | Mikkel LesPierre, Alex Saucedo, Terry Flanagan |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
This bout largely comes down to if Hooker can utilize his reach well and manage the range. Or if Ortiz Jr. can close the distance and put those cinder block fists on Hooker’s jawline.
Ultimately, it’s hard to ignore a surging contender who has knocked out all who have opposed him without tasting a single defeat as of yet.
This one is scheduled to go for twelve rounds, but I do not see this brawl encroaching to that final bell.
I think there’s good value in going with prop bets on this fight not going the distance, and Ortiz Jr. winning by KO or TKO. Likely somewhere between the sixth and ninth rounds.
Pick: Vergil Ortiz Jr. (-1667)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
