Vergil Ortiz, Jr. is making a big change…
The 23-year-old Mexican professional boxer, one of the fastest rising stars in boxing, has a new trainer.
The undefeated welterweight, who has long been with former trainer of the year Robert Garcia, will be under the guidance of Eddy Reynoso as he prepares for his first bout of 2022.
Ortiz will train with Reynoso at Canelo Alvarez‘s San Diego gym, according to ESPN.
Ortiz denied Friday that the change to Reynoso is happening. Garcia, meanwhile, posted a YouTube video in which he confirmed that Ortiz told him last month that he was opting to leave Garcia’s camp.
Reynoso is best known for training Canelo, the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. Along with Alvarez, Reynoso is the trainer of star lightweight Ryan Garcia, former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr., 130-pound champion Oscar Valdez, heavyweight Frank Sanchez and 112-pound champion Julio Cesar Martinez.
Coming off a Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year campaign, Reynoso now adds Ortiz.
Ortiz makes the change on the heels of the biggest year of his career. He stepped way up in competition with a seventh-round KO of former champion Maurice Hooker in March and then topped that performance with an eight-round TKO of Egidijus Kavaliauskas in August.
Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs) is now eyeing a January return with Reynoso in his corner.