Boxing Scribe Vivek Wallace brings his Left-Hook Lounge mailbag to FightHype.com, answering questions for fans and giving his own unique perspective on all the latest current events in boxing. This week, check out his response to fans as they discuss Josesito Lopez’s upset victory over Victor Ortiz, who Canelo will now face in September, and much more.
Carlos N. (Ontario, CA): I’m a Victor Ortiz fan, but I think he showed us his true colors once again! He’s a quitter and I think he was saved, because Saul Alvarez would have torn him apart. Do you see him ever holding a title again?
Vivek W.: What happened this past Saturday night was big in many ways for the sport. The biggest thing was the way in which Lopez answered the call and proved that, as the mantra says, “any given night” a man with two gloves, the will of a tiger and the heart of a lion can unseat any king of this jungle, no matter how formidable many of us find that talent to be…..but I’ll address Lopez a little later in the mailbag. Regarding Ortiz, I’d like to say up front, I wouldn’t say this performance defines him as a “quitter”.
I think the the kid has heart and has proven it in life well before he ever stepped into a ring. At it’s best, I think we have to realize this experience was a totally different one from the others. Yes, we’ve seen some quit in him. Yes, we’ve seen him show signs of weakness when under fire. But at some point, you have to ask yourself how much is too much? Some of us hardcore fanatics of the “Sweet Science” who have witnessed the fitness of guys like Gatti, Corrales, and Valero (God rest their souls) have apparently forgotten that this is what made those men so special.
Not every fighter is blessed with that “dead-man-walking” patented extra gear that allows them to momentarily forget their threshold for pain and just walk through the fire. Ortiz has a lot of heart, but that particular gear apparently isn’t in his DNA. Does it make him less of a fighter? In some respects. But does it make him a non-entertaining fighter or a quitter? To me personally….NO! Guys who regularly spend most of a fight backpeddaling, afraid to face the fire when their will is broken, are quitters to me.
Guys who take a shot that barely land and use it as an out to save themselves from a beating time and time again are quitters to me. In this fight, Ortiz was up on pretty much all of the cards and was still fighting his tail off until his jaw was broken and realized tomorrow’s another day. This was one of the rare occasions where I’d actually give a guy a pass for quitting.
Margarito was a stark example of not knowing when enough is enough and has lost the ability to provide for his family in this sport forever. The kicker here is that he was trying to entertain a crowd of fans who actually wanted to see him get hurt! How crazy is that? My point is that the man’s jaw was broken. I can’t tell a man to walk through a fire I’d probably run from, especially when it comes to preventing me from being able to feed my seeds.
With his future earning potential hanging in the balance, absolutely, I say shut it down and live to die another day. Remember, he doesn’t have to be an elite fighter to make money and be watchable. Glen Johnson was NEVER elite, but the man came to play ball every night he stepped in the ring, and I truly believe Ortiz will do the same, although he may never accomplish as much. My biggest problem with Ortiz was the sucker punch to the back of the head. Every time he fouls, he pays for it. That’s the biggest lesson I want him to learn from this loss. We’ll see if he does. Stay tuned.
Alexis P. (San Antonio, TX): Saul Alvarez can’t seem to keep an opponent! First Williams, then Kirkland, now Ortiz! Who do you think he should face now that he finds himself without a dancing partner again?
Vivek W.: I’ve said from day one that there are only two men that I’d truly care to see Alvarez face, and these two men would arguably bring out the best of him and he’d bring out the best of them. Those two men are Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto. Martinez has a dancing partner already, so we’ll end that talk in favor for the fight I’d really like to see, which is Miguel Cotto. The funny thing is that he faced a man (Floyd Mayweather) whom many feel isn’t rugged enough to put an opponent through a grueling fight until they listen to the opponent after he has faced them….which cracks me up.
Anyhow, my point is that on the heels of a very rugged Mayweather bout, Cotto probably isn’t ready to do that against a man who’s potentially far more rugged. Based on that logic, I felt from day one that Golden Boy Promotions should scrap the September date and simply set up a huge PPV event with Cotto in either November or December. That fight would make sense in Vegas, it would make sense in New York, and if the check is fat enough, I’m sure with a rematch clause and a Yankees Stadium in place, they could even get away with an initial bout in one of those Soccer stadiums in Mexico that seats 100,000 people.
I really think this would be a helluva war, and I also think it’s a toss up. Diaz has Cotto looking like a new man, and trust me, Alvarez is good, but he’s no Mayweather. Cotto’s ring intelligence and experience could make all the difference here. I’d love to see it happen, I just don’t think GBP will patiently wait. This reality gives Alvarez far less to work with, because everyone else has very little PPV and star appeal. Lara is a great matchup, but he’s too technical and would make it an ugly fight. I don’t think GBP will risk letting ‘Canelo’ lose the yet-to-simmer steam scintillating from the Mosley victory.
Trout is a good fighter, but not one who gets the fanbase buzzing. Who else do we really have? Before any of this stuff happened to the other opponents, I said that the best move was to wait for Cotto and use this time wisely to build the fight. Now, it appears they have no other options, unless they want to take a risk with no reward and potentially see this ‘Canelo’ mega-fight fail to get off the ground again! I say wait for Cotto. Nothing else is worth the risk right now.
Carmello U. (Chicago, IL): Josesito Lopez shocked the world and I have the utmost respect for him. If you were a matchmaker and were the one pulling strings, who would you like to see him face off against next?
Vivek W.: I want to first start by congratulating Team Lopez on a job well done. There’s nothing like seeing an underdog step on the big stage and show the world that they belong. I felt his effort was nothing less than incredible, and what made it even better was that there were times when it looked as if he wasn’t going to make it to the end, but he knew to bite down and cross the finish line. You have to love that.
It’s what makes this sport so passionate. Regarding who he should face next, honestly, I’d put this kid in with anyone right now. Anyone at 140lbs would be a viable option right now, and I’d give him a great chance to get the job done. His sheer will, combined with his power and toughness, would make him a live dog against any of the top men in the division. The fight I’d love to see most would be Amir Khan. Both are tall and rangy, yet one is far more skilled (Khan) and the other has much more will (Lopez).
Bradley’s boxing skills would make him an interesting pick, but I really question how Bradley would handle his power and length. Going toe to toe with a man comparable in size to Manny Pacquiao says one thing, but this is a totally different type of fight. Marcos Maidana would be an all-out war…..Peterson would be a great battle…..and when you narrow it down, even Matthyssee would be a helluva fight. Again, I think Lopez has proven that he can run with the best of them, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him unseat any man currently standing atop the division. I really wouldn’t. Henry Ramirez has done great work with this kid, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I can’t wait to see him lace up again. I liked what I saw and I co-sign his talent as a perennial force for the future. Stay tuned.
