KO Artist Amilcar Vidal Headlines Against "The Hunter" Ortiz Saturday at the Staples Center
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 14 Nov 2020
Vidal and Ortiz at Friday's weighin in Los Angeles.
In a momentous day for Uruguay boxing history, KO Artist Amílcar Vidal (11-0, 10 KO's) headlines the evening of boxing in the United States facing tough undefeated Texan Edward "The Hunter" Ortiz (11-0-2, 4 KO's) Saturday in an intriguing 10-rounder non-title middleweight rumble set to unfold at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the famed venue of big boxing shows during the last 20 years.
During the official weigh-in carried out at the Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles, located opposite the Staples Center, the slugger Amilcar Vidal scaled-in at 161.8 pounds, while "The Hunter" Ortiz made 163 lbs.
The 24-year-old Vidal - handled by Sampson Boxing - risks his unbeaten record as well as his ascent in boxing against the also unbeaten Edward Ortiz, a glory-hungry warrior from San Antonio, Texas.
Ortiz, 28, will not be an easy prey for Amilcar Vidal. It does not seem so as the Texan - who has waged boxing wars since a young age, becoming an outstanding amateur boxer. Ortiz can boast more than 200 tough fights in his amateur record, and is so focused on scoring the win today.
Among other achievements, in 2015 the 6'2" Ortiz won gold in the U.S. national amateur championship held in Spokane, Washington.
Edward "The Hunter" Ortiz had his pro debut in April of 2016. His latest combat was last August 22, in which he defeated Georgia's Antonio Todd (7-4, 4 KO's) on points in Los Angeles. "The Hunter" has never lost has a pro. Will his good trend continue?
Sampson Lewkowicz (C) with his fighter Amilcar Vidal (L) and his coach Richard Vidal (R) at the Staples Center Friday.
Meanwhile, the promising Uruguay Amilcar Vidal hasn't waged war since last January when he disassembled then unbeaten Mexican Leopoldo Reyna (9-1, 4 KO's) in one round at the Radisson Hotel in his native Uruguay.
It will be the first time since the late 1970's that a fighter from Uruguay has headlined a boxing show in the United States. At that time, Uruguay heavyweight Alfredo Evangelista did it in his world title battles against boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.
Evangelista was the side B in those historic fights. But Vidal will not be side B Saturday, as the young hard-swinging Uruguayan appears as the slight favorite.
In order to get the best preparation possible, the Uruguayan puncher Amilcar Vidal, together with his brother and coach Richard Vidal, trained for more than a month in Coachella, California, at a home/gym recently built by Sampson Lewkowicz.
Sampson's facility in Coachella is a comfortable place for five boxing people, currently managed by trainer Freddy Fundora, the father of undefeated super welterweight Sebastián “La Torre Infernal” Fundora (15-0-1, 10 KO's).
What will transpire for fans? Will the heavy-handed Amilcar Vidal viciously stop the bearded Texan Edward Ortiz to elevate his record to 12-0, 11 KO's, improving his slugger image in the U.S, as well as boosting his standing in the middleweight boxing scene?
Or will the laser-focused Texan Edward Ortiz hunt him down, spoiling his U.S. headlining debut? "Its hunting season," says Ortiz.
In the co-feature, unbeaten Nigerian cruiserweight Efetobor Apochi (9-0, 9 KO's) looks for his 10th consecutive knockout win when he battles Jersey City's Joe Jones (11-2, 8 KO's).
The hard-hitting Apochi weighed-in at 199 pounds, while the American Jones stepped-on 7 pounds lighter at 193. Both men pack explosive firepower. Who will prevail?
Saturday's Staples Center card airs live in the U.S. on Fox Sports FS1 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT; while Canal TyC Sports and ESPN will televise it for Latin America at 10 pm Argentina / 8 pm Mexico / 8 pm Panama.
Promoters for the event are Sampson Lewkowicz Boxing in association with Tom Brown's TGB Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions.
The author boxing writer Carlos Costa can be reached at carlos512@hotmail.com and whatsapp +639184538152.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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