Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker Relishes Underdog Role in March 20 Ring Return Against Vergil Ortiz

With his 2021 debut just a
few weeks away, *Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker* is fully locked in on his
March 20 fight with fellow Dallas-area native Vergil Ortiz. While he grinds
through an intense training camp in the Colorado cold, he and his team have
added motivation for the bout. Ortiz, a highly touted prospect, is widely
viewed by pundits and oddsmakers alike as the favorite in the welterweight
contest.

Hooker hears all the talk about the challenge he’s undertaking in his March
20 return to the ring but the doubters don’t discourage him. To the
contrary, it motivates him. The former junior welterweight champion has
heard similar talk before. Those same voices questioned his chances before
he journeyed overseas to fight Terry Flanagan in Manchester. Even after he
upset Flanagan to win his first world title, the whispers returned ahead of
his title defense against Alex Saucedo. In both cases, Hooker went in to
his opponent’s hometown and pulled off the upset in victorious performances.

“I love being the underdog. I feel like I’ve been the underdog my whole
life, my whole boxing career,” Hooker said. “All the pressure is on him.
He’s got to look good. I’m just going to go in there, stay relaxed, trust
my team and do what I have to do.”

Hooker will return to the ring following a 15-month lay-off, the longest of
his decade-long career but his second longest ring absence resulted in his
world title victory in 2018. While he didn’t fight in 2020, Hooker worked
with his talented team of Brian “Bo Mac” McIntyre, Red Spikes, Esau Dieguez
and strength and conditioning coach Jamie Belt to hone his craft during
multiple training camps in Omaha and Colorado Springs.

“I am not worried about the layoff because I was in camp throughout most of
last year preparing for a fight that fell through. So many of us are
dealing with long layoffs now with COVID but since I stayed in camp with my
team all last year, I will be good to go on March 20.”

Ortiz Jr. vs. Hooker is a 12-round fight for the WBO International
Welterweight Championship presented by Golden Boy. The battle for hometown
supremacy will take place on March 20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.