Vergil Ortiz Jr. couldn’t be more thrilled to head home for his latest fight.

The rising contender is equally pleased with the supporting cast surrounding his upcoming battle with England’s Michael McKinson in their meeting of unbeaten welterweights. Their bout headlines a DAZN telecast from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth that will also include an interesting welterweight pairing between Dallas’ own former WBO junior welterweight titlist Maurice Hooker and the outspoken Blair Cobbs.

“When I heard that fight was being made, I was like, ‘That’s a really good fight,’” Ortiz told BoxingScene.com of the supporting bout. “I didn’t even think of it as a possibility. I think it’s a very entertaining fight. It’s music to my ears.”

Ortiz (18-0, 18KOs) faced Hooker in this very venue last March, prevailing via seventh-round stoppage in their all-Dallas showdown. The now 24-year-old from nearby Grand Prairie, Texas followed up the feat with an eighth-round stoppage of Egidijus Kavaliauskas last August in Frisco, also part of the greater Dallas area.

Hooker (27-2-3, 18KOs) has not fought since the loss to Ortiz, this time proudly returning on his undercard. He,will end an inactive stretch of more than 16-months in a clash with Cobbs (15-1-1, 10KOs) who is coming off a ninth-round knockout loss to Alexis Rocha in March. Hooker—who turns 33 on Sunday—has seen his name mentioned in several notable fights in the welterweight division.

A win on Saturday will be crucial to landing at least one such opportunity, as he will enter the fight against Cobbs with plenty of local support. Included among that lot is the star of the show who has always carried mutual respect for his crosstown friendly rival.

“I don’t talk to Maurice outside the ring but anytime I see him, he’s always cordial with me,” noted Ortiz. “He’s a very nice guy. We’re cool. I wish him well in this fight.”

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