Terence Crawford: Vergil Ortiz Was ‘Busted Up’ Against Maurice Hooker

Terence Crawford believes Maurice Hooker exposed the holes in Vergil Ortiz’s game.

Ortiz had the toughest test of his young pro boxing career when he went one-on-one with Hooker. A former WBO Light-Welterweight Champion with just one pro loss prior to this fight, Hooker was a formidable test for Ortiz. Hooker found success in the fight but Ortiz was able to score a seventh-round TKO.

Crawford appeared on The Ak & Barak Show and he expressed his belief that Ortiz isn’t ready for elite welterweights (h/t BoxingScene.com).

“I think [Hooker] should’ve used more upper-body movement. He was getting hit with too many jabs and too many clean shots, pulling out. And also, he was standing too tall, getting hit with some body shots that hurt him and made him take a knee. But honestly, I seen Maurice hurt Vergil. You know what I mean? When you look at Vergil after the fight, he’s all busted up and stuff.

“And granted, the little kid, you know what I mean, he’s talented. But, you know what I mean, I seen a lot of holes in his game with that [fight]. If me and him was to fight, it would be exploited. And, you know, that’s when a lot of fans would say, ‘Oh, well, you beat this guy that wasn’t this. And you beat this guy without that.’ So, I was just like, man, he’s not ready yet. Give him [time]. Let him grow.”

Ortiz improved his record to 17-0 with the win over Hooker. All of Ortiz’s victories have ended by way of knockout or TKO. Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya feels the sky is the limit for his fighter after the win over Hooker. Time will tell what the next step will be for Ortiz.