In the span of a few days, things changed dramatically for former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz when it was revealed that his scheduled June 23rd opponent Andre Berto had tested positive for norandrosterone, an illegal substance, on May 18th. Their rematch was soon cancelled, as Riverside’s Josesito Lopez has stepped in to replace Berto while Ortiz still moves forward with the date.
And while Ortiz?s foe may have changed, his tireless preparation hasn?t. Speaking to WLIE Radio in New York recently, Ortiz gave a glimpse into his day to day life as a prizefighter.
?Man, it?s definitely not easy,? said Ortiz. ?I wish it were. I?m sure there would be a lot more champs in the world if an easy thing to do. I couldn?t even tell you where to start. I just wake up super early, 4:45 every day, and I?m out the door and then I?m at the gym at 9 in the morning and again at twelve-ish and 2:30 all over again. I?m pretty much beat at this time.?Ortiz and Berto were scheduled to meet on February 11th but Andre suffered a ruptured left bicep while training in Van Nuys, California that resulted in the card being called off. But Ortiz continued to push in camp and admits he has been in the gym in some form for over half a year now.
?The first cancellation of this fight, it was originally against Andre Berto, they cancelled once and I?ve never taken a day off,? Ortiz revealed. ?I?ve literally been in training camp for easily seven months. It?s been pretty tough on my body. I hold nothing back though, I keep working.?
Giving his personal take on performance-enhancing drugs in the sport, Ortiz seems baffled at why others would turn to such methods.
?For me, it?s one of those things were I don?t ever need any kind of substance,? added Ortiz. ?The worst thing I ever take is probably an amino acid here and there. But the body produces that. Other than that, I take my vitamins. And of course Berto made fun of me because I literally eat Flinstone vitamins every once and a while. It tastes like I?m eating candy. But I was made fun of and mocked for that.?
There was a tremendous amount of anticipation for Ortiz?s rematch with Berto because of the dramatics involved in their initial encounter last year. Both men would hit the canvas twice but it was Ortiz who was busier with his output and stronger on the inside.
Seeing first-hand how Berto was even able to last the distance with him gave Ortiz some curiosity as to whether or not the Winter Haven, Florida fighter was up to something behind the scenes.
?Just going back to Berto, that?s kind of too bad man,? Ortiz stated. ?I knew it the first fight. To take a beating for twelve rounds and still be up on your feet while not protecting yourself, being able to take my hits, that was surprising to me.?
Ironically, a few months after his loss to Ortiz, Berto had taken to his personal Twitter account and unleashed some salvos towards his conqueror, claiming he had heard information of Ortiz using PEDs during the lead up to their fight.
Berto?s accusations only further bolstered Ortiz?s suspicions.
?Everyone was always like ?It was a fluke? or this and that but I agree to disagree,? Ortiz said, reminiscing with pride of his victory over Berto. ?Because that Berto that was in the ring with me that night, I remember perfectly fine, after the fight he started blaming me for steroid usage, which automatically made me assume this dude was on roids. But I didn?t care. I offered to buy him his roids. I?ll pee and his doesn?t have to. I?m that confident I could beat him again.?
While almost shocking to hear, Ortiz confirmed that he was perfectly fine with facing Berto on June 23rd, even if he was to be using performance enhancing-drugs.
?This time around they were trying to cancel it and I was like ?It?s alright, let him be. I?ll be fine?? Ortiz claimed. ?They didn?t let me fight because of the commission but other than that, I would have took him on roids. I?m all-natural and I work very hard. Just like the fighters in the eighties. I just work hard and keep hoping for big things.?
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