Vergil Ortiz Jr. impressed Terence Crawford on Saturday night.

Ortiz overcame some adversity in a difficult fight against one of Crawford’s stablemates and stopped Maurice Hooker. The 22-year-old Ortiz’s seventh-round, technical-knockout victory over the former WBO junior welterweight champion is his most noteworthy win in nearly five years as a pro.

Ortiz (17-0, 17 KOs) sent Hooker to the canvas twice – once apiece in the sixth and seventh rounds. Hooker (27-2-3, 18 KOs), a Dallas native, lost by technical knockout for the second time in his past three fights.

The 33-year-old Crawford still noticed numerous flaws in Ortiz’s game that convinced the three-division champion that Ortiz isn’t quite ready for someone as great as him just yet. The unbeaten WBO welterweight champ broke down what he witnessed Saturday night at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, during an interview on “The Ak & Barak Show,” which streams weekdays on DAZN and SiriusXM.

“I think [Hooker] should’ve used more upper-body movement,” Crawford said. “He was getting hit with too many jabs and too many clean shots, pulling out. And also, he was standing too tall, getting hit with some body shots that hurt him and made him take a knee. But honestly, I seen Maurice hurt Vergil. You know what I mean? When you look at Vergil after the fight, he’s all busted up and stuff.

“And granted, the little kid, you know what I mean, he’s talented. But, you know what I mean, I seen a lot of holes in his game with that [fight]. If me and him was to fight, it would be exploited. And, you know, that’s when a lot of fans would say, ‘Oh, well, you beat this guy that wasn’t this. And you beat this guy without that.’ So, I was just like, man, he’s not ready yet. Give him [time]. Let him grow.”

Ortiz told DAZN’s Chris Mannix during his post-fight interview that he would challenge Crawford next whether he’s ready or not for that type of fight. Oscar De La Hoya, Ortiz’s promoter, also wants to discuss a Crawford-Ortiz fight with Bob Arum, Crawford’s promoter.

Ortiz, of Grand Prairie, Texas, is the WBO’s second-ranked challenger for Crawford’s 147-pound championship. Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, is exploring possibilities for a higher-profile fight, most notably against Manny Pacquiao.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.