By Jason Kim: Last Saturday night, former IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell (33-6-1, 25 KO’s) lost a lopsided 10 round unanimous decision to up and coming light welterweight contender Victor Ortiz (27-2-1, 21 KO’s) on the undercard of the WBA light welterweight title fight between champion Amir Khan and challenger Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden, in New York. There’s no shame in losing to a fine fighter like Ortiz. However, the way that the 38-year-old Campbell lost to Ortiz couldn’t be a good sign for the future for the aging fighter.
Campbell, who only two years ago was considered to be the best fighter in the lightweight division by many after beating Juan Diaz, didn’t look at all good against Ortiz. For the most part, Campbell looked slow, old and was unable to pull the trigger on his punches. He looked like a fighter who had seen better days and was unable to fire the shots when he saw openings. If Campbell was a younger fighter, it might not be a problem, but he’s nearing 40 now and it could be a sign that he needs to retire or else move back down in weight.
Last Saturday’s fight for Campbell seemed like a continuation of his bout against Timothy Bradley from last year in August 2009. That fight ended abruptly after only three rounds due to a huge cut that opened up above Campbell’s eye after a clash of heads. But Campbell looked slow in that fight and was taking shots from the faster Bradley. That’s not a good sign. Maybe Campbell isn’t cut out for the light welterweight division. Maybe he would be better off moving back down in weight to the lightweight division if he can somehow still make the weight.
However, it seems painfully obvious that he’s not excelling the way he used to at lightweight. According to reports, Campbell injured his back in the 1st round against Ortiz last Saturday night. If that’s the case, it would help explain why Campbell was unable to pull the trigger on his punches and perhaps why he looked so slow in comparison to the younger 23-year-old Ortiz. But it doesn’t explain why Campbell looked so slow and lethargic in his fight with Bradley. He looked equally bad in the Bradley fight and it was like I was watching Campbell-Ortiz. Campbell might not want to admit it, but he doesn’t look comfortable at light welterweight. It could be that the fighters are too big for him, too fast and too powerful or it could be that Campbell is starting to show his age. Whatever the case, Campbell might want to take a good look at the Ortiz fight and make a decision about his future. Maybe Campbell can find his youth again in the lightweight division? He needs to give it a try because it doesn’t appear to be working out for him at light welterweight. He does not look good at this weight in the two fights that I’ve seen of him.
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