Boxing expert Tim Bradley is still stewing over the popular Top Rank fighter, Teofimo Lopez, the WBO light welterweight champion, being given a questionable 12-round decision win over Jamaine Ortiz last Thursday night in a fight that the boxing world saw as another example of how a fighter’s star power alters the outcome of a fight.
The star, Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs), was given a win that Bradley and many others felt he didn’t deserve. The entire fight, Jamaine was the ring general, dominating the rounds and outboxing Teofimo, who fought like his feet were stuck in the mud.
Bradley argues that the judges gave Teofimo rounds based on his aggression. They saw him coming forward and trying to land, but they ignored that he wasn’t landing and was getting out-punched the entire fight.
Effective Aggression and Ring Generalship
“The reason Ortiz won the fight is he controlled every aspect of the fight. He’s the one that made the fight what it was,” said boxing expert Tim Bradley to ProBox TV, talking about last Thursday’s fight between Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz, which ended in controversy with Teo winning a highly disputed victory.
“A lot of these rounds were scored on effective aggression. Now, you can be aggressive on your back foot, making the guy miss, making the guy pay with counters, and that’s exactly what Ortiz did. It’s called being the ring general.
“You could see who had the strategy in the fight from the first round. It was Ortiz. He was the ring general, the ring genius throughout the night. So, if you can’t score a round based on clean punches thrown, then you score it for who is the ring general,” said Bradley.
The Problem of Star Power
“The problem was, Jamaine’s name isn’t Sugar Ray Leonard, Shakur Stevenson, and Floyd Mayweather,” said Bradley. “It’s the fact that his name is Ortiz. That’s what it is. He’s not the house. He’s not bringing money and electricity to boxing. Guess who is? Lopez is, and that’s why he got the decision.”
Bradley is right. If Jamaine’s name had been Shakur, Mayweather, or Leonard, he likely would have won. It’s a problem that we see in boxing again and again nowadays.
“That’s the only reason he got the decision. 117-111, that’s outrageous. I can give you seven rounds that Ortiz clearly won. Three rounds Lopez won, and there were two close rounds,” said Bradley.
