Powerful Vergil Ortiz hopes his health scares are in the past as he prepares to chase greatness
It wasn't long into Vergil Ortiz's professional career that it was evident he had everything it took to be among the best fighters in the world: an indomitable spirit, an incredible work ethic, an instinctive feel for how to move in the ring and set up his punches, a burning desire to prove himself the best and, of course, big-time knockout power.
Not all boxers with the physical gifts required to be a champion make it to championship level, though. Nor do they all even turn out to be memorable fighters.
Health is also critical, and the last several years have been challenging, at best, for Ortiz. He had multiple bouts with COVID-19 and developed a condition known as rhabdomyolysis in which muscle fibers break down and are released into the blood, potentially causing kidney failure.
The last three years have been extraordinarily difficult from a health standpoint for Ortiz, who fought 15 times from 2016-19 but only four times since as he's waged his biggest battle to maintain his health.
It started with a severe case of COVID in early 2020 that forced postponement of a bout with Samuel Vargas.
"I got it around February of 2020 and I got real sick," Ortiz told Yahoo Sports. "That was the sickest I'd ever been. We know all the symptoms, but I literally got the worst of it."
He fights Eimantas Stanionis on Saturday at The AT&T Center in San Antonio on DAZN for the regular WBA welterweight title.
Getting to fight for a belt is a nice break, considering the last nearly three years.
He felt he'd returned to full health and went on with the Vargas fight July 24, 2020. He won by knockout to improve to 16-0, but he knew things weren't quite right. He struggled to breath and to catch his breath.
"Even five minutes after the fight, and I still had trouble breathing," he said.
He developed COVID a second time before a 2021 fight with ex-world champion Maurice Hooker. It wasn't as bad, he said, as the case he'd gotten prior to meeting Vargas, but he was in bed for several days recovering. And he wasn't able to be around anyone else, so his sparring options were limited.
He was fortunate to find a sparring partner who also had COVID and couldn't get around people, so they worked together. It was something, but it certainly wasn't the kind of preparation he wanted — or needed — to face a world champion.
Ortiz, though, is a determined young man and he made the most of the opportunity. But he knew he wasn't prepared the way he should have been.
"It was sparring, yeah, but we were both sick," he said, beaming. "What could we do? We were both effectively dying in there, not being able to breathe. We did what we could. I think I had two weeks, maybe even only one week, of sparring before the Hooker fight. It was horrible, really horrible."
He took the COVID vaccine after the Hooker fight and that got him sick, as well.
"Man, everything just added up and it really took a toll on my body," he said.
After Hooker, he had a series of fights postponed, but he kept working because he said it's his job to stay ready and he didn't know when the fights would be scheduled. He wasn't feeling great, and he and his team wondered if he was having conditioning problems, so he pushed even harder.
He took a test to measure his creatine kinase levels and his doctor was stunned. The Cleveland Clinic said that elevated CK levels "may indicate skeletal muscle, heart or brain damage or degeneration." His doctor got serious with him.
"The doctor said, 'Hey, your CK level is super high and you're going to die if you keep going like this,'" Ortiz recalled.
That's pretty sobering news for a professional athlete who was 24 years old at the time, particularly one who had always been so diligent about remaining in shape.
He relies on his body for his job, and it was continually failing him. He couldn't help letting negative thoughts drift in.
"It did cross my mind a few times [about not being able to compete again], and it was like, 'Man, what am I going to do?'" Ortiz said. "But I wasn't hopeless. I'd tell myself that it was just another obstacle I have to overcome in my life and I was confident we'd figure it out somehow."
Now, he seems to be at that point where it's about boxing and not about doctor visits. He's excited for the Stanionis bout and excited for what the future holds.
He's 19-0 with 19 knockouts and is in line for a series of potentially bigger fights if he defeats Stanionis. He could get a bout with the winner of the July 29 bout for the undisputed welterweight title between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence. There is the potential of facing unbeaten Jaron Ennis, who fights Roiman Villa on Saturday.
He loves what he does and can't wait to pursue his chance at greatness.
"I have a lot to give in this sport and I have a lot of goals and things I want to accomplish," he said.
Healthy again, he's ready to give greatness his best shot.
Given what he's already overcome, don't bet against him.
