Vergil Ortiz Jr. couldn’t have put together a better wish list than the circumstances surrounding his next fight.

The BoxingScene.com 2019 Prospect of the Year and current welterweight contender enters his most notable headliner to date as he faces former 140-pound titlist Maurice Hooker. The crossroads clash between Dallas-based welterweights takes place March 20 at Dickies Arena in neighboring Fort Worth, Texas.

“It’s literally the most I could have asked for,” Ortiz told BoxingScene.com ahead of his 2021 debut, which will air live on DAZN. “I feel very excited about this fight. It’s a big fight with another Dallas fighter, taking place in Dallas so that means a lot. I get to fight in front of my home fans, my friends, my family.”

The bout will mark the second time within his last four fights where Ortiz (16-0, 16KOs) will fight in the greater Dallas area. The previous occasion came in his true hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas, where he stopped former title contender Antonio Orozco in the 6th round of their Aug. 2019 DAZN headliner. The bout was marketed as his Ortiz’s biggest step up in class, fittingly going more rounds than at any other point in his career to that point.

That mark has since been surpassed, with Ortiz being extended deep into the 7th round before taking out Samuel Vargas in his most recent start last July in Indio, California.

From there came the decision that his next fight would be one to put the 22-year old contender on a path towards his first world title shot. An offer was made to face Hooker (27-1-3, 18KOs), a native of Dallas’ Oak Cliff section who has welterweight title aspirations of his own after having held a belt at junior welterweight for more than a year.

“He didn’t have to take this fight,” acknowledges Ortiz. “He just moved up to 147. He could have picked up an easier fight. He chose to fight me, an up-and-coming guy.

“I’m one of the hardest guys in this division but he’s not backing down from that. I’ve got to give him props for that.”

In agreeing to the fight, Ortiz is able to check off yet another wish list item.

“I wanted the fight before,” notes Ortiz. “I remember at a press conference when Maurice Hooker was still with DAZN, I told Eddie Hearn that I want Maurice Hooker next. He kind of just laughed it off.

“I guess nobody’s laughing now. The fight is happening now, it’s a great fight and I can’t wait.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox