By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s) hasn’t stopped training for his June 23rd previously scheduled fight date at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The 25-year-old Ortiz and his promoter Richard Schaefer still want to hold onto that date despite Ortiz’s opponent Andre Berto allegedly tested positive for the performance enhancing drug nandrolone. Berto is now likely out for the fight, and Schaefer is scrambling trying to fight a replacement as quick as he can.

Ortiz said on his twitter “Just wanted to let all my fans know that I’m still working hard in the gym and will be fighting June 23. Thanks for all your support!”

It’s not going to be easy for Schaefer to find an opponent for this date because none of the big names are available right now. A logical choice would be to pit Amir Khan against Ortiz, but that fight can’t happen because Khan is fighting on July 7th. He’s not going to budge from that date, and Golden Boy Promotions don’t want to give up on the June 23rd date for Ortiz. They obviously would like Marcos Maidana to take the fight with Ortiz, but Maidana just started training this past week and it would be bad for him to be rushed into a fight against Ortiz with only a month of training behind him. If Maidana was just a journeyman fighter then it would be expected that he take the fight against Ortiz, but he’s not that kind of fighter.

Ortiz was stopped in the 4th round by Floyd Mayweather Jr. last September in an off performance both physically and mentally by Ortiz. Golden Boy won’t be doing Ortiz any favors by having him face a replacement opponent with little time to get prepared for that fighter. Ortiz has been in training camp already, but his time has been spent getting ready for Berto. Having to adjust to a whole different opponent with likely less than a month to go before the fight will be very hard on Ortiz. We could see him taking another loss unless he’s well prepared.