By William Mackay: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KO’s) may have bitten off more than he can chew by deciding to fight the young and powerful WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO’s) at this stage in Ortiz’s career rather than Mayweather continuing with his trend of facing mostly older, smaller fighters not big enough or young enough to give him any problems.

Mayweather has suddenly broken from his habit of facing guys smaller or older than him in this fight and I think it’s going to come and bite him on the backside. Ortiz may have been a flawed fighter in the past in bouts against Marcos Maidana and Lamont Peterson, but that Ortiz no longer exists.

Ortiz sees Mayweather’s fear and nervousness, saying at the final press conference “I sense nervousness from this side of the room,” meaning from Mayweather. But youn can see how nervous Mayweather was every time he would come face to face with Ortiz, refusing to look him in the eyes like he usually does with his opponents and instead looking to the side. That’s submissive behavior and a clear sign of fear. Mayweather said over and over again during the HBO Mayweather-Ortiz 24/7 series that he has no worries, no fears whatsoever, but you can see Mayweather’s fear written all across his face. He’s badly worried.

Ortiz has learned from those fights and is now a beast of a fighter and this beast is hungry and Mayweather is standing in his way. I feel sorry for Mayweather because he’s probably going to get beat and exposed tonight. Ortiz is going to make Mayweather look like an old man, and wreck his dreams of getting a $50 million payday against Manny Pacquiao.

In hindsight, Mayweather should have just agreed to fight Pacquiao regardless of whether Pacquiao, even if the Filipino star wasn’t receptive to taking the USADA random blood tests that Mayweather has been asking for. At least in facing Pacquiao, Mayweather would get a huge payday and be fighting a smaller and arguably weaker guy that Ortiz. But I see Ortiz as much more dangerous as Pacquiao now because of his speed, youth and power.

Mayweather is going to get lit up on the inside and will be forced to run and try to peck his way to a decision. I can’t see that working in this fight mainly because Ortiz is so good at cutting off the ring on his opponents to literally force them to fight. Either way, Mayweather is in deep, deep trouble in facing this more powerful version of Ortiz.