At one point, Vergil Ortiz was taking on the sort of opponents who didn’t belong in the ring with him. As of late, he has faced some of the best.

Serhii Bohachuk and Israil Madrimov shared the ring with Ortiz in back-to-back fights last year and in February. And while they pushed him, he walked out of the ring the same way he walked in after decision victories: undefeated.

Some promoters would give their fighter a reprieve from that sort of competition in his next fight, perhaps feeding him a second-tier foe. Oscar De La Hoya, however, isn’t interested in doing that.

“We want to put him in against a monster,” De La Hoya told DAZN.

While De La Hoya maps that out, Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) will continue to rehabilitate his right hand. The Ring’s No. 2-ranked junior middleweight picked up what might be the most impressive win of his career against Madrimov but it came at a cost, as he injured the hand in the fight.

Surgery went well and rehab is going fine. He's expected to return before the year comes to a close.

Who would he like to face? He has a hit list that stretches a mile long. The 27-year-old vebally sparred recently with newly crowned WBO junior middleweight champ Xander Zayas. Another possibility is Bakhram Murtazaliev, the 154-pound division’s IBF champion.

Last but not least, Ortiz is hoping that the interim WBC interim he holds will eventually lead to a bout with full champion Sebastian Fundora.

All will be revealed in the coming months. For now, De La Hoya promises to pick an opponent that will push his man like no one has before.

“He’s ready for everybody," De La Hoya said. "We’re looking at getting him back in October against someone in the top five.”