FRESNO, California – Each training camp, junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jnr trains beside one of his childhood boxing favorites, Jose Ramirez. It’s a privilege which he doesn’t take lightly. 

Ortiz, in fact, now shares the same manager, Rick Mirigian, and was doing a meet-and-greet with fans on Thursday evening at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, California. 

“I try to think about when I was a 14-year-old when I first discovered him in the Olympics,” Ortiz told BoxingScene. “That 14-year-old is happy right now. That we go to the same gym, spar each other, and help each other out for our fights.”

Ramirez, 32, didn’t beat around the bush when expressing the skill level of the 27-year-old Ortiz.

“I think he is the best 154-pounder in the world,” Ramirez said. “If he chooses to make middleweight, he could be a champion at 160lbs.”

What makes Ortiz different from Ramirez is his lifestyle. 

“It is the dedication we have for the sport, the discipline outside of the ring,” Ramirez said of Ortiz, who is originally from Grand Prairie, Texas, but trains in Moreno Valley, California with Robert Garcia.

“Vergil doesn’t drink, and he doesn’t party.”

Ramirez also noted that Ortiz is underrated for the craft he brings to the sport, dispelling the notion that Ortiz is only a puncher. 

“He is so technical, most people don’t realize how technical Vergil Ortiz is,” Ramirez said. “I know people see him as a pressure fighter, but he does little things, he is always positioned properly, and has great balance.”

Ortiz returned in February, defeating Israil Madrimov via a unanimous decision. Ramirez says Ortiz is the hardest puncher that he has ever sparred. 

“I sparred [Miguel] Cotto, I sparred [Manny] Pacquiao, a lot of guys, but I had never felt that type of power before,” Ramirez said of Ortiz.

Ortiz, viewed as one of the top up-and-comers in the sport, doesn’t take it for granted, training with some of the people who inspired him. 

“It is an honor,” Ortiz said. “I am proud of both of us.”