Vergil Ortiz Jr stops Egidijus Kavaliauskas in eighth round after scare

Vergil Ortiz Jr the 23-year-old welterweight contender from Grand Prairie, Texas proved his mettle in his headline bout against Lithuanian hard man Egidijus Kavaliauskas on Golden Boy's card from The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Ortiz Jr had to come back from being badly hurt in the 2nd round, not an easy task against a seasoned finisher such as Kavaliauskas, to score a total of five knockdowns including four in the 8th round which lead to the stoppage by referee Laurence Cole at 2:59 of the round.

Kavaliauskas was capable of taking the younger mans shots and coming roaring back at him, something that former quality foes such as Maurice Hooker, Samuel Vargas, Brad Soloman, and Antonio Orozco seemed unable to do.

Ortiz Jr's handlers which include his father Virgil Ortiz Sr and Top Rank won't be able to take too many more steps up before fighting for a world title as there aren't many more qualified contenders than the 33-year-old Lithuanian.