By Eric Thomas: There’s no question that physically Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KO’s) has the tools to beat WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KO’s) in their fight tonight at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashintucket, Connecticut. Ortiz, 24, may have the best set of overall skills than any other fighter in the light welterweight division. The only thing that is keeping Ortiz from the best fighter in the division is his ability to handle adversity.

Ortiz just seems to come apart when he starts getting hit hard and sometimes isn’t so eager to walk through the hell that fighters have to in order to win. We saw this in Ortiz’s fight with Marcos Maidana two years ago. Ortiz was fine when he was knocking Maidana down over and over again in the early rounds. However, when it came time for Ortiz to hit the canvas, he wasn’t so eager to continue fighting. He eventually quit after the second knockdown in the 6th. Berto is going to be trying to make Ortiz quit again by opening up with his full armament early in the fight to try and hit Ortiz enough so that he’ll lose his interest in trying to win and will start thinking of quitting again.

Ortiz has been talking plenty tough in the pre-fight press conferences, sounding like a completely different version of himself. Whether he can transfer this bold talk into a tough performance in the ring is the major question here. It’s highly doubtful but not impossible. Some fighters can’t give it their all unless their backs are against the wall. Right now Ortiz’s is backed against the wall in a make or break fight. If he quits in this fight and looks really bad the chances of him getting another title shot anytime soon are pretty remote. Even if Ortiz loses this fight, he’s got to fight all out and at least give fans something to look forward to in the future. Ortiz’s fights have been shown on HBO in the past couple of years. It’s unclear whether HBO will want to continue to put Ortiz on if he mentally comes apart when the going gets tough tonight.

Ortiz says “I’m tired of people saying I have no heart. I’m going to be crowned no matter what. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve been here a while and finally they’re going to give me a shot. It’s my time.”
Ortiz may end up getting crowned but not in the way that he’d like. It’s up to him, though. If he fights hard and refuses to back up, he may very well win this fight. However, if Ortiz retreats like he did in the Lamont Peterson fight or stops fighting once he hits the canvas for the first time, then I see it being a long night for him.