By Jason Kim: A couple of years ago Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO’s) was one of the most mannered fighters in the welterweight division. Always joking and quick with a smile, he was someone that seemed to lack the intensity to be a major player in the welterweight division.
When Ortiz appeared to quit in his 6th round TKO loss to Marcos Maidana in 2009, boxing fans saw it as more of an example that Ortiz was too soft to ever make it to the top.
However, something changed in Ortiz this year when he fought WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto in April. Ortiz went from a nice easy going fighter to an angry slugger, someone that wanted to take his opponent’s heads off.
Ortiz tore into Berto, knocking him down twice and giving him a sustained beating for 12 rounds. Ortiz is now facing arguably the best fighter in boxing in unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0, 25 KO’s) on September 17th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Instead of acting deferential to Mayweatyher, Ortiz is showing him little respect and letting him know that he’s not going to come in and take away his WBC title on September 17th.
Mayweather looks a little off kilter from the seriousness and the intensity coming from Ortiz, and hasn’t been able to shake him with his trash talking thus far.
Ortiz said this to the dailystar.co.uk: “He has a great record, but it will be over when we meet…His career is going to be over after I climb into the ring with him.”
The outcome of the Ortiz-Mayweather fight has huge implications for the welterweight division, because the winner of the fight is going to be in the position to get two really big money fights against Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao. And we’re not even counting the rematch between Mayweather and Ortiz if they choose to have one.
For Ortiz, he literally could be set for life with the money that he’ll make from beating Mayweather and the subsequent fights against Khan and/or Pacquiao.
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