Israil Madrimov has now completed twelve rounds with Terence Crawford and twelve with Vergil Ortiz Jr, having his moments but coming up short in both contests.

Israil Madrimov controls the early going but Vergil Ortiz Jnr showcases substantial ability to take control, writes Lance Pugmire.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. stayed on course for a more huge fights as he battled past the highly skilled Israil Madrimov in Riyadh.

Rarely does a fight between two of the best in their division fly under the radar, but that's the case with Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov. Ortiz Jr. and

By: Sean Crose The WBC super middleweight interim title was at stake Saturday in Saudi Arabia as the undefeated 22-0 Virgil Ortiz Jr. defended his belt against the 10-1-1 Israil Madrimov, who was widely known as possibly the only fighter to give Terence Crawford a run for his money (even though Crawford ultimately emerged victorious).

Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Israil Madrimov will aim to keep themselves firmly in the conversation for world titles and superfights in a high-quality Riyadh Season matchup at super welterweight.Ortiz and Madrimov meet on the stacked undercard for the undisputed light heavyweight rematch between modern greats Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

With the triumph, Ortiz defended his interim super welterweight title, which he captured in December after defeating Serhii Bohachuk. Ortiz won the title by majority decision (113-113, 114-112 and 114-112), with a relentless and thrilling Round 8 that made the matchup an instant classic.

A strong second half of the fight paved the way for Vergil Ortiz Jr. to score one of the most impressive wins of his career. Ortiz Jr. retained his WBC interim junior middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov on "The Last Crescendo" on Saturday at the ANB Arena in Riyadh,