Vergil Ortiz to return against Fredrick Lawson on January 6 in Las Vegas

Vergil Ortiz is back and in a new weight class.

The unbeaten knockout artist will make his long-awaited junior middleweight debut in the main event of a January 6 DAZN show against Fredrick Lawson at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Ortiz returns after bouts with rhabdomyolysis

The past few years of the 25-year-old's career have been plagued by illness.

Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) has not fought since a ninth-round knockout of unbeaten Michael McKinson August 6, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas, near his hometown of Grand Prairie. The bout was delayed for nearly five months from its originally scheduled date of March 19 after Ortiz was hospitalized for rhabdomyolysis.

The medical condition, which occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood and can be life-threatening, also forced Ortiz to withdraw from two fight dates this year with secondary welterweight titlist Eimantas Stanionis. Ortiz was named mandatory challenger to his belt following his win over McKinson.

They were set to meet on April 29 in Arlington and again on July 8 in San Antonio. Following multiple hospitalizations, it was agreed upon by his team that 147 pounds was no longer a viable option and that moving up in weight was the only way for Ortiz to safely return to action. Fending off calls for an early retirement, he appears ready to make an impact at his new weight division.

Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs) has largely competed at welterweight throughout his 12-year career. However, the 33-year-old Chicago-based Ghanaian, has fought at the junior middleweight limit in three of his last four fights, including two straight. He won both fights, including a first-round knockout of Collinson Korley on January 1 and a 10-round unanimous decision triumph over Estevan Villalobos on April 29, but these opponents are nowhere close to the caliber of an Ortiz.