Rising boxer Vergil Ortiz Jr. has withdrawn from Saturday showdown after being taken to hospital

• Vergil Ortiz Jr.'s upcoming fight against Michael McKinson on Saturday has been canceled.
• Ortiz has been taken to hospital because of rhabdomyolysis.

LOS ANGELES — Rising power puncher Vergil Ortiz Jr., 23, has reportedly been taken to hospital for rhabdomyolysis — a serious medical condition that can be fatal, according to the CDC.

The CDC says the condition, sometimes called rhabdo, is the breakdown of damaged muscle "which results in the release of muscle cell contents into the blood."

It added: "The proteins and electrolytes released into the blood can cause organ damage."

Amongst other causes, physical exertion is listed as a risk factor for rhabdo. It can lead to seizures, nausea and vomiting, permanent disability, and even death.

"Vergil is recovering well in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery," a Golden Boy statement sent Tuesday to Insider said.

Golden Boy founder and CEO, Oscar de la Hoya, who was celebrated in his previous career as a championship-winning boxer, said: "We wish Vergil a very quick and speedy recovery."

He added: "As fighters, our first instinct is to fight whatever we have and tough it out. It takes a lot of courage to admit that something is wrong and get the care that you need."

Ortiz was scheduled to box Michael McKinson in the main event of Saturday's boxing event at the 10,000 capacity Galen Center in Los Angeles.

However, the bout has been canceled.

Vergil Ortiz Sr. who trains his son said Vergil Jr. "was dropping weight too fast for me. That's when I knew something was wrong," according to ESPN Ringside.

"He just seemed like he was off balance. He wasn't himself. I thought maybe he had something on his mind.

"He could have almost died with this stuff. His kidney and liver were starting to go down. We caught it at the right time," Ortiz Sr. finished.

It is unclear if the rest of the event will go ahead as planned, but Blair Cobbs and Alexis Rocha's welterweight bout could get elevated to main event status.

McKinson's representative, Lee Eaton of MTK Global, tweeted Tuesday that he hopes Golden Boy's matchmaker Roberto Diaz is able to find his fighter a replacement opponent to fight on the same card this weekend.

McKinson is also keen to fight.

As for when Ortiz may box again, de la Hoya said: "We are confident that we will be seeing Vergil in the ring again very soon."