Two opinions
You decide
1# Legit Challenge
Ortiz has youth, power and heart
By Igor Guryashkin
ESPN.com
Archive
In April, Victor Ortiz sat in a dark room in the back of an athletics facility in Manhattan. Ensconced by a gaggle of journalists, who had been warned that any questions relating to his now-infamous fight against Marcos Maidana were out-of-bounds, Ortiz soon got tired of the veiled comments about his supposed lack of "heart." He glanced at his cellphone. The wallpaper on the screen was a shot of the WBC welterweight belt.
When I asked him about it, he replied, "It's there so I never forget what I'm fighting for." Then calmly, almost dismissively: "It's mine."
Later that week, he took the belt -- the one that adorned his cellphone (and, previously, Andre Berto's waist).
In boxing, one moment of weakness can define a fighter and overshadow his past glories. (Just think Roberto Duran's famous "No mas," which left a glittering career forever diminished.) But a lifetime of adversity can also prove to be defining, and for Ortiz, the motivation -- as much as he denies it -- has been to prove his critics wrong. In his mind, he did it once against Berto, so he can do it again against Floyd Mayweather Jr. And why not?
Ortiz, 24, has conquered far sterner challenges outside the squared circle than he has within it. Abandoned as a child, Ortiz made his way out of the foster care system and won a world title. Now, alongside his family from the gym, he is defending that title in the biggest challenge in the sport. No more motivation is needed, and it's this that makes Ortiz Mayweather's most dangerous opponent in years.
On Sept. 17, Mayweather will face an opponent who is noticeably bigger. Many speculate that Ortiz throws the hardest punch that Mayweather has faced. Perhaps. But most important, Ortiz is the youngest fighter Mayweather has faced in a long time. Ortiz isn't a fighter bloated by wealth and hubris, nor one slowed by Father Time or masquerading in a weight division several slots too high.
He is young, hungry and has something that can't be said of Floyd's most recent opponents -- he's fighting at his boxing peak. If Ortiz fights with the same intensity that he did against Berto, expect fireworks and twists in what some incorrectly view as a predictable tale.
Should Ortiz be considered the favorite? No, under no circumstances. But he's due more than a mere puncher's chance. Instead, he should be afforded at least the consideration of a current titlist: a champion's chance.
#2 Not Legit
Just another fall guy for Floyd
By Brian Campbell
ESPN.com
Archive
Boxing never veers too far from its roots. Though at its core a sport, the sweet science often dips its toes in the waters of spectacle, carnival and entertainment.
More often than not, the public is buying more than the promise of violence; it is also being sold the contrast between two opponents' fighting styles, backgrounds and personalities.
Rarely before has the hype machine -- in this case spearheaded by HBO's fantastic "24/7" documentary series -- had more ingredients at its disposal to create a dynamic promotion than Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz.
But in the process of enticing casual fans with attractive storylines (hero vs. villain, aging legend vs. go-for-broke youth), the promotion is hustling the misinformed with a fools' gold of style over substance.
Simply put, Ortiz isn't in Mayweather's class. Not even close.
Throw out what will amount to 17 months of inactivity for Floyd come Sept. 17. Forget about the two flush shots from Shane Mosley that buckled his knees in his last fight. Disregard the overrated notion that Mayweather has a history of trouble with southpaws, having eaten inconsequential shots from Zab Judah and "Chop Chop" Corley years ago.
This fight is a mismatch.
Short of Mayweather finally stepping up to the plate to face Manny Pacquiao -- or a small handful of big-name options such as Amir Khan or Sergio Martinez -- there are few fights at this point that wouldn't elicit the same response. That's the price you pay for being an all-time great.
Mayweather has done very few things right of late in the public eye -- he is reportedly the defendant in six pending lawsuits -- but two qualities about him remain flawless: his shrewd choices in low-risk, high-reward dance partners inside the ring and his ability to perform come fight night.
The selection of Oritz was no accident. Mayweather even made a rare scouting trip to watch the biggest victory of Ortiz's career: a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto in April.
It was a courageous performance for Ortiz, who got off the canvas twice to repeal his label of "quitter" from the court of public opinion. But it also gave Mayweather a ringside view of an incomplete 24-year-old fighting into the 12th round for the first time in 33 pro bouts.
Ortiz squares up as he comes forward, doesn't commit to the jab, and defense has never been his strong suit. All three are cardinal sins against Mayweather, a defensive wizard who possesses all-time great technique and counterpunching ability. Floyd is also an advanced practitioner of the mental game, evidenced by his dominance in HBO's "Face Off" series over a reluctant Ortiz, who appeared unsure of his role in the promotion.
If Mayweather -- as some have speculated -- is using the bout as a de facto tuneup for a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao, then, quite frankly, no harm done.
But it's just as likely that Ortiz ends up going down as another strategically hand-picked fall guy offered up to inflate Mayweather's bloated unbeaten record. Sorry, I'll pass.
You decide
1# Legit Challenge
Ortiz has youth, power and heart
By Igor Guryashkin
ESPN.com
Archive
In April, Victor Ortiz sat in a dark room in the back of an athletics facility in Manhattan. Ensconced by a gaggle of journalists, who had been warned that any questions relating to his now-infamous fight against Marcos Maidana were out-of-bounds, Ortiz soon got tired of the veiled comments about his supposed lack of "heart." He glanced at his cellphone. The wallpaper on the screen was a shot of the WBC welterweight belt.
When I asked him about it, he replied, "It's there so I never forget what I'm fighting for." Then calmly, almost dismissively: "It's mine."
Later that week, he took the belt -- the one that adorned his cellphone (and, previously, Andre Berto's waist).
In boxing, one moment of weakness can define a fighter and overshadow his past glories. (Just think Roberto Duran's famous "No mas," which left a glittering career forever diminished.) But a lifetime of adversity can also prove to be defining, and for Ortiz, the motivation -- as much as he denies it -- has been to prove his critics wrong. In his mind, he did it once against Berto, so he can do it again against Floyd Mayweather Jr. And why not?
Ortiz, 24, has conquered far sterner challenges outside the squared circle than he has within it. Abandoned as a child, Ortiz made his way out of the foster care system and won a world title. Now, alongside his family from the gym, he is defending that title in the biggest challenge in the sport. No more motivation is needed, and it's this that makes Ortiz Mayweather's most dangerous opponent in years.
On Sept. 17, Mayweather will face an opponent who is noticeably bigger. Many speculate that Ortiz throws the hardest punch that Mayweather has faced. Perhaps. But most important, Ortiz is the youngest fighter Mayweather has faced in a long time. Ortiz isn't a fighter bloated by wealth and hubris, nor one slowed by Father Time or masquerading in a weight division several slots too high.
He is young, hungry and has something that can't be said of Floyd's most recent opponents -- he's fighting at his boxing peak. If Ortiz fights with the same intensity that he did against Berto, expect fireworks and twists in what some incorrectly view as a predictable tale.
Should Ortiz be considered the favorite? No, under no circumstances. But he's due more than a mere puncher's chance. Instead, he should be afforded at least the consideration of a current titlist: a champion's chance.
#2 Not Legit
Just another fall guy for Floyd
By Brian Campbell
ESPN.com
Archive
Boxing never veers too far from its roots. Though at its core a sport, the sweet science often dips its toes in the waters of spectacle, carnival and entertainment.
More often than not, the public is buying more than the promise of violence; it is also being sold the contrast between two opponents' fighting styles, backgrounds and personalities.
Rarely before has the hype machine -- in this case spearheaded by HBO's fantastic "24/7" documentary series -- had more ingredients at its disposal to create a dynamic promotion than Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz.
But in the process of enticing casual fans with attractive storylines (hero vs. villain, aging legend vs. go-for-broke youth), the promotion is hustling the misinformed with a fools' gold of style over substance.
Simply put, Ortiz isn't in Mayweather's class. Not even close.
Throw out what will amount to 17 months of inactivity for Floyd come Sept. 17. Forget about the two flush shots from Shane Mosley that buckled his knees in his last fight. Disregard the overrated notion that Mayweather has a history of trouble with southpaws, having eaten inconsequential shots from Zab Judah and "Chop Chop" Corley years ago.
This fight is a mismatch.
Short of Mayweather finally stepping up to the plate to face Manny Pacquiao -- or a small handful of big-name options such as Amir Khan or Sergio Martinez -- there are few fights at this point that wouldn't elicit the same response. That's the price you pay for being an all-time great.
Mayweather has done very few things right of late in the public eye -- he is reportedly the defendant in six pending lawsuits -- but two qualities about him remain flawless: his shrewd choices in low-risk, high-reward dance partners inside the ring and his ability to perform come fight night.
The selection of Oritz was no accident. Mayweather even made a rare scouting trip to watch the biggest victory of Ortiz's career: a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto in April.
It was a courageous performance for Ortiz, who got off the canvas twice to repeal his label of "quitter" from the court of public opinion. But it also gave Mayweather a ringside view of an incomplete 24-year-old fighting into the 12th round for the first time in 33 pro bouts.
Ortiz squares up as he comes forward, doesn't commit to the jab, and defense has never been his strong suit. All three are cardinal sins against Mayweather, a defensive wizard who possesses all-time great technique and counterpunching ability. Floyd is also an advanced practitioner of the mental game, evidenced by his dominance in HBO's "Face Off" series over a reluctant Ortiz, who appeared unsure of his role in the promotion.
If Mayweather -- as some have speculated -- is using the bout as a de facto tuneup for a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao, then, quite frankly, no harm done.
But it's just as likely that Ortiz ends up going down as another strategically hand-picked fall guy offered up to inflate Mayweather's bloated unbeaten record. Sorry, I'll pass.
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