Ortiz vs Thurman, Barboza vs Martin reportedly eyed for October

The historically reliable Julius Julianis brings word that Golden Boy and PBC are “finalizing” an October show that would see Vergil Ortiz Jr face Keith Thurman and Arnold Barboza Jr take on Frank Martin.

Ortiz (23-0, 21 KO) claimed the interim WBC super welterweight title in his August 2024 war with Serhii Bohachuk, then defended it with a hard-fought decision over former titlist Israil Madrimov in February. This should have earned him a crack at Sebastian Fundora right now, but like Achilles and the tortoise, he seems content to always approach a true title shot without ever taking one.

Thurman (31-1, 23 KO) spent the last few years gunning for a shot at Tim Tszyu that never materialized, first because Thurman suffered an injury and then because Fundora kicked off Tszyu’s collapse while he was out. He did demolish Brock Jarvis in March, though, so he does seem to have something left in the tank.

Martin (18-1, 12 KO) hasn’t fought since getting blown away by “Tank” Davis in June of last year and will presumably make his super lightweight debut against Barboza (32-1, 11 KO), who’s coming off a one-sided loss of his own to Teofimo Lopez. It’s an intriguing clash of styles, though it may not be a particularly entertaining one.