You want to see Floyd Mayweather take on Manny Pacquiao. Of course. We all do. But in this maddening sport, where nobody except those who run the business ever gets what they want, we?re going to have to settle for the next best thing.
In this case, that happens to be Victor Ortiz.
It wasn?t all that long ago, less than six months in fact, that the very idea of Ortiz going up against Floyd Mayweather would have been considered completely outlandish. A surprise loss to Marcos Maidana, followed by a series of lukewarm performances, had dramatically lowered expectations for the heavy handed youngster.
But just when it looked like Ortiz might never follow through on his potential, he pulled off his own upset, scoring a decisive win over Andre Berto in April.
It was just one victory?perhaps over a fighter that was more hype than substance?but Ortiz got the job done, and did so in an entertaining manner. And in boxing circa 2011, where top fighters see action only twice a year and records of all but a select few are filled mostly with padding, a single quality win is all it takes to propel someone to the status of being a reasonable supporting player in the next Pay-Per-View extravaganza.
So, at least by today?s standards, Ortiz is worthy of the opportunity. All well and good, but does he have a realistic chance of winning?
Probably not, as an inability to divert his head from flush right hand counters is a recipe for disaster against the likes of Mayweather, but Ortiz does have few more things going for him than the typical mega-fight opponent. For starters, at 24, he?s not a fighter on the verge of middle age. He?s also not undersized, doesn?t have to drain himself to make the weight, and isn?t coming off a severe beating.
So what we have here is a close to prime, relatively fresh, fully fledged welterweight. Considering the lowered expectations we carry for the sport these days, that?s not too bad.
In addition, Ortiz has plenty of offensive talent, highlighted by decent hand speed and the ability to crack with either hand. He also throws a variety of punches that he puts together nicely in combination. He?s dropped fighters with heavy straight lefts, tightly thrown right hooks, and is not averse to letting his hand go in close, where his uppercut is a dangerous weapon.
