Vergil Ortiz Jr. did his homework, as promised.

The unbeaten interim WBC 154-pound titlist vowed to look into the true meaning of ‘The Last Crescendo,’ the title of this weekend’s loaded fight card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ortiz admitted he didn’t quite understand it, during the kickoff press conference in January.

After looking deeper into the matter, he’s determined to not have it apply to his own career for quite some time.

“I did a quick Google search. I saw it was a musical term, I already knew that,” Ortiz laughingly told The Ring. “Applying it to boxing… I don’t know that I even think about what my last crescendo will be.

“There’s really no telling what that peak looks like for me. If you tell yourself this is the highest that I can go, then you’re done, mentally. You have to be hungry and want more.”

Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) was hungry enough to run towards the suggestion of next facing Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs). The pair of The Ring-rated top five junior middleweights meet this Saturday as part of Riyadh Season’s seven-fight DAZN Pay-Per-View event from Kingdom Arena.

The show’s theme is more attached to the main event.

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) defends The Ring and the undisputed light heavyweight championship in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs). Their sequel comes four months after their 175-pound summit meeting, won by Beterbiev via split decision to fully unify the division's major hardware.

A win by the 40-year-old Beterbiev could be the last great act in his phenomenal career. Similarly, the 34-year-old Bivol could very well top out with a revenge-fueled victory.

It’s not at all the case for the 30-year-old Madrimov or the 26-year-old Ortiz, who are rated No. 2 and No. 5, respectively, at junior middleweight.

Ortiz is right at the heart of his prime, particularly in a weight division far more befitting his frame.

A rough exit at welterweight saw his body shut down and not fight at all in 2023. Ortiz turned it around with a three-win campaign in 2024, all at junior middleweight. His most recent win was also the best of his promising career this far.

The 26-year-old bruiser from the greater Dallas area edged Serhii Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) in their Fight of the Year contender last Aug. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ortiz survived two knockdowns to claim a majority decision and, with it, Bohachuk’s interim WBC 154-pound title.

It marked the first time that Ortiz was forced to go to the scorecards, as well as beyond the ninth round in any given fight. There always existed the opportunity to land on this show, and Ortiz would’ve been forgiven for even taking a slightly lesser challenge.

The hunger instead kicked in to face the very best possible. The win over Bohachuk was only meant to be a career highlight until his next ring appearance. Facing a former WBA 154-pound titlist in Madrimov satisfies that goal—but only until the next challenge comes along.

The winner becomes the WBC mandatory to unified titlist Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), The Ring's No. 4 junior middleweight. Also lurking is Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs), The Ring's No. 3 contender at 154 and the IBF titlist.

Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), The Ring's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, holds the WBA junior middleweight title.

“You think about a fighter coming up,” Ortiz explained why Saturday will not be his last crescendo. “Once a prospect fights for his first [regional] title, let’s say he gets the NABF belt. Then you’re thinking, ‘I can go higher.’ Then it’s on to the intercontinental. You want to go higher, then you become world champ.

“But one belt isn’t enough, you want to keep going higher. Undisputed? Then you tell yourself, ‘I can do this again.’ That’s where I am and I don’t want to think about what’s the best I can do. I always want to do better.”