Boxing insiders have long branded Vicious Victor Ortiz a “game quitter.” It’s the traditional although somewhat vulgar way of labeling a fighter who is believed to be one who won’t dig down deep, whose pain tolerance level is limited and who puts self preservation above all else. Whatever your take on Vicious Vic after his broken jaw shock loss to Josesito Lopez on Showtime Saturday night, you must concede some other of his undeniable qualities. For example: 1. It’s three nights after the wicked fight, and more people are discussing Ortiz than are talking up Lopez. 2. Ortiz was and remains “must see TV” because you never know what he’ll do in the ring and what he will say after a bout. (I must admit I had to laugh at the “Most Interesting Man In The World” beer commercial parody which illustrates my column.) 3. Ortiz has been “outed” as a dirty, do anything foul to win for that punch to the back of Lopez’s head in their Staples Center rumble. That display of poor sportsmanship pretty much leaves Vicious Vic even up after his totally stupid lack of self protection when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr., by the way. No, we haven’t seen the last of the phlegmatic Ortiz. He’ll fight Lopez again and you can be sure Golden Boy will keep milking him all it can, including a bout against Canelo Alvarez and maybe Amir Khan also. (Khan beat Ortiz in the amateurs and some say Vic pulled a quit job then also.) And maybe Ortiz will wind up in Brooklyn some night, at Barclays Center, fighting BK’s own Paulie Malignaggi. Curse him all you want but you’ll watch Ortiz everytime. He’s got a great following, some love him, some tolerate him and many fans despise him. That makes for good TV numbers because no one can deny that Ortiz brings the drama. Final thought on Lopez-Ortiz, why didn’t trainer Danny Garcia protect his fighter from needless criticism and stop the fight rather than letting it go until Victor halted it? That’s part of a trainer’s job description, you know… More notes on the back of a non-robotic scorecard… It behooves Golden Goys to delay naming a Canelo opponent until after tough Cubano Ersilandy Lara fights Freddy Hernandez Saturday night. I doubt they will risk Canelo against Lara (robbed against Paul Williams), at least now, but they must make it look as though Lara’s getting consideration. When Hernandez-Lara is done, then they can announce it’s Cinnamon Boy against Austin Trout. I know, I know, I’m fishing for news here…
