By Bloody Elbow,Harvey Leonard

Copyright yardbarker

Vergil Ortiz open to moving up for the Terence Crawford fight

Ortiz is one of the fastest-rising stars in boxing, having accumulated a perfect 23-0 record with a strong 90 percent knockout rate. ‘The Texas Machine’ most recently defeated an opponent he shares with Crawford, Israil Madrimov, to retain the interim title that he claimed with a win over Serhii Bohachuk.

While the 27-year-old thinks 168 pounds would be at the limit of his current capabilities, he would be more than willing to move up to 160 pounds for a long-awaited shot at handing Crawford his first defeat.

‘If the fight comes up, if the opportunity comes up, I would love that fight,” Ortiz told YSM Sports Media before the Alvarez fight.

“Why not?” Ortiz added when asked if he would fight Crawford right now at 160 pounds.

“I feel like I’m big at 154 as it is. I was a big 140, big 147, big 154. I always said I would go up to 160 eventually, so why not?”

Ortiz has since reiterated that sentiment, telling ESNews that a clash with Crawford is “a good fight” that he’s been “calling for since he was at 147.”