Ortiz may be better than Alexander, Khan, Bradley and Maidana

By Boxing News - 09/20/2010 - Comments

Image: Ortiz may be better than Alexander, Khan, Bradley and MaidanaBy Jason Kim: Victor Ortiz (28-2-1, 22 KO’s) could very well be the best light welterweight in the division after destroying Vivian Harrison (29-5-1, 19 KO’s) in three rounds last Saturday night on the undercard of the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora bout at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. Ortiz, 23, knocked Harris down four times in the fight before it was stopped by referee Raul Caiz Sr. at 0:45 of the 3rd round.

One of the reasons why Ortiz may be the best fighter in the light welterweight division is because of his combination of one punch power and lightning fast hand speed. He’s probably the hardest puncher in the division, but his hand speed and southpaw stance make him even better. While the other top light welterweights Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan, Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana have been hogging all the attention in the media and are thought to be the very best in the division, it’s the young Ortiz who actually might be the very best. Ortiz is clearly a bigger puncher than Khan, Alexander and Bradley, there’s no question about that. However, I think Ortiz punches even harder than Maidana.

In his fight with him last year, Ortiz dropped Maidana three times early in the fight, each time with a single punch. Ortiz later on lost the fight by a 6th round stoppage, but he’s improved immensely since then, winning his last four fights in an impressive fashion. Vivian Harris never stood a chance against Ortiz this past weekend. After a slow first round, Ortiz suddenly dropped Harris in the 2nd round after tagging him with two powerful left hooks to the head. Moments later, Ortiz dropped Harris with a short right hand to the head. And then before the round ended, Ortiz put Harris down for the third time in the round, this time with another left hook to the head. In the 3rd round, Ortiz finished Harris off with a short right hook that may have traveled no more than 12 inches and yet was packed with enough power to put Harris down flat on the canvas.

With Ortiz’s big power and speed, I could see him scoring fast knockouts against Alexander, Khan, and Bradley. Maidana would still be a tough bout because of his big power and tough chin, but I think Ortiz will beat him next time around because he’ll box him instead of trying to just slug it out.



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