Full credit to www.ustream.tv, New York City, New York – Respectful, humble and calm: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (41-0-0) and Victor Ortiz (29-2-2) shook each other’s hands, patted each other’s backs. It’s like the real sportsmanship of the two is one of ingenuity shift of image-building, at least at this first leg of media tour today at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time at the Hudson Theatre in Times Squareof New York, declaring their fight on September 17 for the WBC Welterweight Championship at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be on HBO via Pay-per-View at 7 p.m. Pacific Time and 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
Carving a statue for himself, Ortiz, 24 and a decade younger than Mayweather, Jr., did not hesistate to portray himself as the heavy underdog.
“I’m facing one of the best fighters of all time,” said Ortiz dressed in black sports jacket. “And that was a dream of mine as a little kid.”
“At the end of the day, man (sic), I don’t really have any bad things to say about Mayweather. He’s the pound-for-poundchampion of the world recognized by one and all. I don’t care who has got anything negative to say. The only bad thing is now I’m the champion of the world. I’m newly crowned and I’m not giving that up, man, just like he did not give it up for fuckin’ (sic) ten years or a decade. I’m not giving mine up!”
Fresh from his April 16 victory over Andre Berto, Ortiz will defend his WBC Welterweight title at 147 pounds against the popular son of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Mayweather, Jr.
“I’m just tired of like, “Oh, you can’t do this, you can’t do that!” You know what? Everything is possible, man; Nothing’s impossible; I mean, common, if Arstrong went to the moon, why can’t I hold on to my title for the next fifteen years? Bernard Hopkins is doing it,” said Ortiz in a “Muhammed Ali-like” manner of speaking, a way to drumbeat a pre-fight campaign.
On the other hand, Mayweather, Jr., in polo brown-grey long sleeves, took a calming turn and brought his three good-looking children to the stage for pictorial with Ortiz.
In a conversation with one deadline writer, Mayweather, Jr. said he has a high respect for Ortiz being the legitimate title holder in the Welterweight division.
“Ortiz is a great fighter and young capable of showing a competitive fight,” said Mayweather, Jr. “I’ll fight him to the best of interest of my fans out there and to the best of the sport of boxing.”
But the momentum, nonetheless, is behind Ortiz who snatched his first world title from previously undbeaten Berto who was down in round one in their twelve rounds of boxing. Ortiz was down as well in round two, both fighters down in round six. In round ten, Ortiz lost one point for hitting behind Berto’s head. Ortiz won via a unanimous decision.
Mayweather, Jr., on one hand, is coming off after more than a year of lay-off. He last fought against Sugar Shane Mosley on May 1 of last year and won a surviving unanimous decision after a tulmutuous right hand from Mosley that landed on his left jaw and almost dropped him had he not clenched Mosley’s right arm.
Mayweather-Ortiz fight would one hell of a fight, promoted by both Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions.
The next press conference, which would be open to public as well, will be tomorrow at the Nokia Plaza, LA Live in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Pacific Time.
