Official: Vergil Ortiz Jr. Returns Against Keith Thurman Dec. 5 as Benavidez-Cieslak Lands in Glendale

Vergil Ortiz Jr. finally has a date. The unbeaten Texan will face former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman in a 12-round middleweight co-main event on Dec. 5, Premier Boxing Champions announced Thursday, under David Benavidez vs. Michal Cieslak at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The PBC announcement also settles the venue question for the main event. Benavidez, who holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts, meets WBC champion Cieslak on a pay-per-view carried by DAZN and Prime Video. Tickets go on sale Friday at 12 p.m. PT through Desert Diamond Arena, according to PBC.

Golden Boy, Ortiz's promoter, billed it as "the return of Vergil Ortiz", and The Ring and BoxingScene both confirmed the matchup. The Ring added that Emiliano Vargas will also fight on the main card in a 10-rounder.

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Ortiz's long road back

Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) hasn't fought in 13 months. His last outing was a second-round knockout of Erickson Lubin last November, Yahoo Sports reported. Talks for a fight with Jaron "Boots" Ennis stalled while Ortiz was tied up in a legal dispute with Golden Boy. The two sides later settled and agreed to finish the three fights left on his deal, starting in December.

The fight is at 160 pounds, a weight his trainer Robert Garcia says Ortiz will now campaign at full-time, as Boxbid covered when Garcia explained the move to middleweight. Oscar De La Hoya had told The Ariel Helwani Show the Thurman deal was being finalized, per The Ring. Thursday made it official.

Thurman's chance

Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs, 1 NC), 37, is coming off a sixth-round stoppage loss to WBC 154-pound champion Sebastian Fundora on March 28 in Las Vegas, The Ring reported. Yahoo Sports noted that "One Time" hasn't had a significant win since beating Mario Barrios by decision in February 2022.

The doubleheader also closes out Benavidez's contract with Sampson Lewkowicz and PBC, as Boxbid reported when the main event was made official earlier Thursday.

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