North Texas boxing champ puts perfection on line vs. unbeaten contender at Dickies Arena

Vergil Ortiz Jr. is just glad to be back in the ring.

He has waited a year to defend his WBO International welterweight title and he gets to do it in front of friends and family.

The Grand Prairie native fights undefeated contender Michael “The Problem” McKinson in the 12-round main event Saturday night at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Ortiz Jr. is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. McKinson, who hails from Great Britain, is 22-0 with two KOs.

The matches will be streamed live worldwide, exclusively on DAZN., beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Other fights on the card include WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine Flyweight World Champion Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KOs), Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), and Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-1-1, 10 KOs).

“It’s a hometown crowd and I hope we get to pack the house,” Ortiz Jr. said. “It’s exciting and motivating to be on the threshold to bigger opportunities. It makes me want to work harder.”

Ortiz Jr. thinks McKinson will make it more of a tactical fight as opposed as a slugfest.

“Almost like a chess match in there. I think fans will get to see how smart I am in the ring,” he said.

McKinson and Ortiz Jr. were slated to fight in March in Los Angeles before Ortiz was forced to cancel after being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. The serious condition occurs when damaged muscle tissues release proteins and electrolytes into the blood stream, and can be fatal if not treated.

McKinson, who is from Portsmouth on the southern coast of England, is appreciative he was given the opportunity for the makeup match. He said beating Ortiz Jr. would change his life, his hometown, his family, “and everyone around me.”

“It feels good to be in Texas. For me and where I’m from, fighting in the States is big — I get to do it twice and I get to headline both. I’m happy,” he said.