WBC World Welterweight title

MGM Grand, Las Vegas

17 September 2011

The long awaited and highly anticipated world welterweight contest between champion ‘Vicious’ Victor Ortiz and challenger (former five weight undefeated world champion) ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr is finally upon us. The build up has been interesting with many pundits and fans having healthy debates over who will prevail and where the winner will go afterwards.

It is a classic boxer versus slugger confrontation with the flashy, skilful counterpunching defensive genius that is Mayweather Jr pitted against the rugged, tough, throw-back Ortiz. Without sounding too ‘Rockyesque’ it does appear to be a battle of ‘Will versus Skill.’

For Mayweather Jr it is a chance to shed some ring rust and prove that he is still arguably the premier pound for pound fighter in the world today. His inability to agree terms and get into the ring with main rival Filipino Manny Pacquiao has frustrated fans across the globe and arguments still ensue between the two fighter’s fans as to who is the best. Many commentators have argued that the fight is already two years overdue and if they do ever meet it will be between slightly past their best’s antagonists.

That is overlooking what could be stylistically a much more exciting matchup between Mayweather Jr and Ortiz. Cynics have suggested that style wise Ortiz is tailor made for Mayweather Jr’s elusive and sometimes maddening style. Others contend that at 34 and fighting about once every year against hand-picked opposition that Mayweather Jr is perhaps past his prime and ready to be taken by a younger, fresher, hungrier foe.

Mayweather Jr (41-0, 25 wins inside) from Grand Rapids Michigan and now residing in Las Vegas has always been somewhat of an enigma. He can be bombastic, flashy, caustic and in your face, and yet at other times gracious, modest and polite. One thing is certain he has an unshakeable confidence and self belief and seems hell-bent on retaining his undefeated status.

Comparisons are often drawn between him and Muhammad Ali, but for my money he is more like another former world heavyweight great in Jack Johnson. Like Mayweather Jr, Johnson was one of the most gifted defensive boxers of all time and his unmarked face after twenty eight years plus of participating in the hardest of sports well attested to that.

Johnson was also a vicious counter-puncher just like Mayweather Jr. Johnson too was seen as flamboyant, outspoken, cocky, and stubborn and very much his own man. I could be describing Mayweather Jr!

Johnson often won fights by outsmarting and unsettling foes with his taunting both verbal and physical, slipping punches and frustrating them. Often his opponents became so enraged and frustrated that they lost their cool only to be methodically and brutally taken apart by fast accurate hurtful shots, again, Mayweather Jr all over.

In fact whenever I get a mental picture of Mayweather Jr in the ring it is with him with one glove held against his chin, the other held low, all the weight on the back foot and a casual half smile on his face as if he is amused by a private joke. He always looks utterly at home and relaxed in the ring and nearly everything he does is designed to unsettle opponents and to force mistakes.

The only thing that really saw Johnson come undone in the end was, wait for it...old age and inactivity. Could this become an eerie parallel with Mayweather Jr? Or just stating the obvious as all athletes must eventually bow to Father Time (Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman being the exceptions to this rule!)

I won’t bother going into a detailed analysis of Mayweather Jr’s record and career, suffice to say that apart from close calls with Oscar De La Hoya and Jose Luis Castillo he has beaten everyone put in front of him comfortably wining world titles at six different weights. You do not do that without being someone special.

He is definitely not to everyone’s tastes and cannot claim to be the most popular boxer in the world today but until someone proves otherwise his claim to being pound for pound best is a strong one.

And I would like to stick my head on the chopping board by saying that I agree with Graham Houston in his view that perhaps Mayweather Jr versus Pacquiao won’t be the thrill fest that everyone expects.

Styles make fights remember. If Pacquiao (admittedly suffering with leg cramps) laboured against Shane Mosley in winning a lopsided unanimous points decision how will he fare against a fired up slick Mayweather Jr, a far better counter puncher and technician than the Pomona veteran?

Enter Victor Ortiz (29 – 2 – 2, 22 wins inside) the 24 year old southpaw from Garden City, Kansas and now residing in Oxnard, California is what they call a ‘throwback.’ Here is a young man who does not believe in doing anything by halves. Every time he steps into a boxing ring he puts body and soul into his performance.

With a moving and compelling back story (he and his siblings were abandoned as children), a pleasant humble personality and good looks he has a lot of crossover appeal and crucially popular support. Hollywood has shown us that the public love underdog southpaw gladiators!

Ortiz has to be one of the most relentless and determined pressure fighters pound for pound in the world today. I don’t believe I have seen him willingly take a backward step in his seven and a half years as a professional.

His attack is based on getting inside, slipping his opponents punches so he can land and unload his heavy hooks and uppercuts. He is not a great proponent of the jab! The two big questions for me are: Can Ortiz reach Mayweather Jr’s chin often enough? And more importantly can he keep his cool against a master of ring psychology and defence?

Yes at 24 years old he is ten years younger than his challenger but sometimes being the freshest is secondary to experience and seasoning. I was worried when I read Ortiz making the following statement in the build up to the contest: ‘For 41 fights, he (Mayweather Jr) fought the same way every fight. I don’t care what he’s got to bring – he’s finished period.’

Is Ortiz going to make the same mistake as former Mayweather Jr victim Ricky Hatton who made an uncharacteristic throat slitting gesture at the weigh in for his 2007 fight before letting his emotions get the better of him by throwing out the game plan en-route to a painful and decisive ten round loss?

It’s all good and well not to be fazed by someone’s reputation and to have confidence but letting things get too personal and inside your head can be extremely detrimental. I just hope for Ortiz’s sake wiser calmer heads will prevail in his corner who will work on a game plan that ensures their charge won’t get involved or flustered in any of Mayweather’s mind games.

Ortiz looked fantastic in dismantling Carlos Maussa, Jeffrey Resto and Mike Arnaoutis before his epic war with Argentine hard man Marcos Rene Maidana for the WBA interim World light-welterweight title in 2009.

Ortiz floored Maidana no less than three times in the first two rounds yet Maidana remarkably recovered and floored Ortiz in the first and the sixth rounds and cut him in the fifth which lead to the fight being stopped in the sixth.

Ortiz showed tremendous punching power, courage, stamina and a great chin in that contest but he was also easy to hit particularly with the right hand. Since then his supporters claim he was weight weakened and his move up to welterweight may add credence to that opinion.

Since moving up he has posted wins over Antonio Diaz, veteran Nate Campbell and former champion Vivian Harris. He can look strong and powerful and can bully you if you stay in range and let him. Mayweather Jr will be the most technically skilful and defensive fighter he has faced yet.

Ortiz won the WBC world welterweight title in April of this year in yet another war, this time against rugged Andre Berto. The defending champion Berto was down once in the first with Ortiz down in the second and in a sensational sixth round both men tasted the canvas.

Ortiz showed his fighting heart by grounding out a tough, gruelling decision on points. Again he looked easy to hit, particularly by the right hand.

Mayweather Jr must have seen something he liked in these fights and is perhaps the main reason he is meeting Ortiz. He is at a stage in his career where he has one eye on competing and another on his legacy and record remaining intact. Many have suggested he almost has a phobia about losing his ‘o’ and is perhaps the reason why he has not risked all yet with Pacquiao. Time will surely tell.

The Berto fight proved that Ortiz has tremendous power, particularly the left hook he landed and his challenger will be wary of it I am certain. I have seen Ortiz stagger and hurt opponents with a straight left so he can bang!

The only bad omen for him is he is so easy to hit. In all his big contests so far he has got marked up and taken plenty of leather. Although he has just won a massively significant contest he enters perhaps his most challenging straight away. If anyone can exploit his mistakes and weaknesses it is master tactician Mayweather Jr.

Has this fight come too soon for him? Or is it a golden opportunity? Ortiz has already called out Manny Pacquiao and that is a fight that can easily be made should Ortiz prevail on Saturday. Stylistically that one would be a huge draw as well as attracting passionate Mexican and Filipino fans as well as everyone else across the globe.

Ortiz is a likeable articulate and decent young man who has proved his resolve and heart on a number of occasions. It is clear why he is so popular. Proud and independent with a winner’s mentality he is proof that you can beat the odds and come good under dire circumstances: he is everything you could ask for in a championship boxer.

But sadly nice guys don’t always come first. It is fair to say that although he is champion he is still very much the underdog and beating Mayweather Jr is a big ask. Defeating the man from Michigan is the boxing equivalent of conquering Everest and I think that despite his best efforts Ortiz will become the 42nd man to fail to reach the summit somewhere around the tenth round.