By Jim Calfa: Top Rank has signed lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz to a muti-fight deal, and he’ll be in action next month in a ten-round fight against an opponent still to be determined on June 10th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
This is a predictable move by Top Rank, as Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs) and Shakur Stevenson has expressed interest in fighting. Things are much more manageable with both of them now with the same promoter and network.
It’s a co-promotional deal. The 27-year-old Jamaine is also signed with CES Boxing. So Top Rank and CES will work together, promising Ortiz.
There’s no word yet who Ortiz will fight on the June 10th Taylor-Lopez card. It won’t be Shakur Stevenson yet because Top Rank needs to build it up to be a main-event clash.
Jamaine is coming off a narrow 12-round unanimous decision defeat against Vasily Lomachenko last October in New York.
He gave Lomachenko all he could handle for seven rounds but then faded in the championship rounds and wound up losing.
Some boxing fans felt that Ortiz did enough to win. This wasn’t the first time Ortiz faded later in one of his fights. He gassed out in the later rounds against Jamel Herring last year in May and in his fight against Joseph Adorno.
He beat Herring by a 10-round unanimous decision, sending him into retirement. In Ortiz’s fight with Adorno, he battled to an eight-round draw. He could have won if he didn’t tire out late.
Ortiz’s stamina problems could be due to the strain involved him draining down to 135. He looks huge for the division after he rehydrates, and he should arguably be fighting at 140 or perhaps even 147.
Those divisions aren’t as red-hot right now as the 135-lb weight class, so it’s not surprising that Ortiz keeps putting his body through the wringer to stay there. We’ll see what kind of success Ortiz enjoys in his three-fight deal with Top Rank. If he does well, he could be given another contract when this one expires.
“It feels great to join a stable that has created so many Hall of Fame champions,” said Ortiz.
“I’m looking forward to becoming their next one. It’s been a long journey fighting my way up to get the respect I deserve. With Top Rank working with CES, I’m now hoping for bigger and better fights.”
