Last month, the WBC ordered #1 welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. to face #3 David Avanesyan in a final eliminator, only for Ortiz manager Rick Mirigian to turn the fight down. Now, Mike Coppinger reports that Ortiz and unbeaten Michael McKinson have “agreed to a deal” to meet early next year in a DAZN main event.
No word as to whether it’s an eliminator, but seeing as Ortiz (18-0, 18 KO) and McKinson (21-0, 2 KO) are currently ranked first and third by the WBO, it’s a safe bet.
The 27-year-old McKinson went 2-0 this year, edging out Chris Kongo on March’s Povetkin-Whyte 2 undercard and subsequently cruising past former Josh Kelly victim Przemyslaw Runowski five months later. He’s definitely not as likely to produce a war as the other contenders in his vicinity, namely WBO #2 Jaron Ennis, but he’s trickier than most of Ortiz’s previous opponents and could potentially give him some interesting looks.
