Floyd Mayweather's comeback fight vs. Victor Ortiz set for MGM Grand in Las Vegas

The site of Floyd Mayweather's latest comeback, Sept. 17 against Victor Ortiz, will be at a place that's very familiar to the Grand Rapids native.

As expected, Mayweather-Ortiz is set for MGM Grand's Garden Arena, multiple outlets are reporting. It will be Mayweather's fifth consecutive fight at MGM Grand, dating back to his split-decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007.

Mayweather and Ortiz will embark on a two-city press tour next week, starting Tuesday in New York and finishing Wednesday in Los Angeles.

HBO will televise the fight -- named "Star Power" -- on pay per view.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael this week that Mayweather was involved in the negotiations with HBO, which had to work to keep Mayweather after losing the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight to rival Showtime earlier this year.

"Floyd was very much involved as it relates to the marketing strategy. He came with very specific ideas and requests as it relates to what he wanted to see," Schaefer said.

HBO is planning another installment of its award-winning "24/7" series featuring Mayweather and Ortiz, with the first episode debuting Aug. 27.

Replays of "24/7" episodes likely will appear across Time Warner's Turner networks, ESPN.com's Rafael reported, likely on TBS, TNT or TruTV.

Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) hasn't fought since a dominating victory over Shane Mosley last May. Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) last fought in April against Andre Berto, where he upset Berto for the WBC welterweight title.

Source: http://www.mlive.com

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Larry Merchant: Ortiz comes off big win, Mayweather off big vacation

It can now be revealed that, although they were living only a few miles apart in seaside Santa Monica, fugitive Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger and HBO boxing sage Larry Merchant never crossed paths.

It might’ve been fascinating to hear the FBI “Most Wanted” poster boy, a serious fight fan when he wasn’t busy (allegedly?) murdering people, rap out with Uncle Larry about fights and fighters.

“Whitey had a very small circle of friends, it seems,” Merchant told me Friday by phone from Missouri, where he will comment on Saturday night’s Devon Alexander-Lucas Matthysse main event. “But he was a few miles up the road from me and, as a kid, they called me ‘Whitey’ because my hair was blondish.”

I pressed on, asking Merchant about pending fistic events, including the Sept. 17 Vicious Victor Ortiz-Floyd Mayweather Jr. show (HBO, probably from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend) and the Nov. 12 ‘’Chapter 3” event at the same location between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao.

Merchant is keen on both of the big PPV shows but for different reasons.

“For Mayweather, who’s been fighting Marquez, (Shane) Mosley and (Ricky) Hatton, well now he’s fighting a guy 10 years younger than him, a guy coming off a big win while Floyd is coming off a big vacation,” Merchant said.

“There’s a certain kind of unknown factor in this equation. I like Mayweather-Ortiz and, if what Golden Boy is saying is true about having Canelo Alvarez and Erik Morales included, then it’s a huge event, particularly for the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

“I think it will outdo Pacquiao-Marquez in terms of the PPV numbers. I think you’ll see a huge HBO 24/7 buildup and that will be significant for Ortiz because he’s a fresh face and a vivid contrast in personality to Mayweather. He’s well spoken also.”

As for the third bout between Pacman and counterpuncher Juan Ma, Merchant certainly doesn’t begrudge the Mexican veteran the big payday.

“This is the first Manny opponent in some time who can say he’s fought him on even terms before. And I think it’s fair to say Juan Ma has earned this one. Question is, can he still fight as well being so much older and in a bigger division?”

As to more immediate ring business, Merchant thinks the inactivity of Timothy Bradley, in a promotional dispute with tracksuit and lawsuit loving Big Gary Shaw leaves Kevin Cunningham’s St. Louis fighter with room to make up “yardage” lost to Bradley when they fought on HBO in January.

“Since you said yardage, I will say that the field is wide open now with Bradley out. Bradley beat Devon but Bradley is off the field,” Merchant said. “If Alexander goes out there and beats Matthysse more convincingly than Zab Judah did, then Alexander and Khan might the guys standing out in this division.

“Devon’s got a real opportunity here with Bradley on the sidelines.”

Source: http://www.examiner.com

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Little Floyd steps up BIG - Covers funeral cost for Genaro Hernandez family

Floyd Mayweather Jr love him or hate him will go down as one the best fighters of all time.  He's taken a beating by many boxing scribes over the years for things that he's said and done, but this time he deserves some respect.  The boxing community and more importantly Genaro's family lost a great man.  Genaro passed away after a long fight with cancer.

I had the honor of meeting Genaro at a boxing card in Tunica, Mississippi a few years ago.  It was an ESPN card at Fitzgerald's Casino.  He was a great guy who loved being in the boxing atmosphere.  He enjoyed signing autographs and taking photos with the fans.  Genaro was simply a kind man.

Funerals are not cheap.  For those people who don't make a lot of money, the cost of a funeral can create even more hardship on a family.

Floyd Mayweather Jr stepped up to the plate and paid for Genaro's funeral so that his family wouldn't have to suffer anymore than they were already suffering.  Floyd didn't have to do this, but he did.

Now I know some of the rabid Pacquiao fans will come out and say that Floyd only did this as a publicity stunt.  I highly doubt that he did it for any PR reasons.  Floyd feeds a lot of homeless folks in Vegas, and he doesn't have to do that either.  In Genaro's case, Floyd did something for a brother in boxing and he helped ease the pain that the Hernandez family is going through.

I got Floyd's back on this one.  This was a classy move no matter what anyone has to say.

Mississippians chimed in and shared their thoughts on Floyd's act of kindness.  I spoke with Keith Johnson of Jackson, MS.  He's a big Floyd Mayweather fan.  Keith pulled no punches, "Floyd isn't as bad as what most people think.  He does a lot for hungry people and homeless people.  I'm not that surprised that he would step up and pay for Genaro's funeral.  Floyd does a lot of stuff that helps people and it doesn't even make the front pages of websites."

Jimmy Tomlinson of Canton, MS also shared his thoughts, "I am not a Floyd Mayweather fan and I don't like how he's acted throughout the whole Pacquiao saga, but I must give him respect for doing a good thing here.  Paying for Genaro's funeral costs was a stand up thing to do."

Love him or hate him, Floyd definitely did a great thing and he deserves a nod for it.  This writer has no problem giving credit where credit is due.

Source: http://www.examiner.com

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Schaefer: Mayweather-Ortiz Will Be Most Promoted Ever

Forgive Golden Boy Promotions' CEO Richard Schaefer if he sounds out of breath, for he's been an extremely busy man.

Not only are the fighters in his company winning at an alarming rate, but Schaefer has been landing one big deal after another, and, it seems, traveling from one side of the country or even out of the country for big match ups.

On Tuesday, Schaefor announced "Star Power," the promotional name bestowed upon the Sept. 17 return to the ring of 34-year-old six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) against 24-year-old WBC welterweight king Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs).

"We just finalized [on Wednesday] the HBO deal for Mayweather-Ortiz, " said Schaefer, referring to story initially reported by ESPN that Golden Boy had reached an agreement with HBO pay per view network to broadcast Mayweather-Ortiz.

"I'm very happy with what we ended up with. HBO and Time Warner are going to put all of their different platforms and packages into play," said Schaefer. "It's going to be without a doubt the most heavily promoted event of all time. There is no question in my mind."

Schaefer said that the promotion will include features from HBO's parent company Time Warner, as well as assets from Turner Broadcasting and Time Magazine. Time Warner also governs online publications such as Sports Illustrated, People and Entertainment Weekly.

"In the coming weeks, there are going to be a lot of these promotional elements in play that are going to be announced," said Schaefer. "The promotion is going to be running from pretty much now until the night of the fight."

HBO's 24/7 series previews every pay per view fight, and will do the same for Mayweather-Ortiz through a wider range of exposure on the Turner's various networks, Schaefer said.

"You're going to have announcements of different promotional tools being used, many of them new to the sport of boxing," said Schaefer. "It's going to be interesting for fight fans, sports fans and the general public to really be part of that experience going into the fight."

The Mayweather-Ortiz touring festivities begin on Tuesday in New York, with an almost unheard of next-day stop in Los Angeles.

"I'm very, very busy and I'm going to be on tour in New York on Tuesday. We're all flying in on Sunday, and we have a lot of promotional activities on Monday. On Tuesday, we're going to do the press conference and fly back to Los Angeles on Tuesday night," said Schaefer.

"And then, on Wednesday, we'll have other promotional things lined up. On this Wednesday night, I think we will have one of the most exciting press conference we've ever had outdoors at LA Live," said Schaefer. "And then the following week, I'm going to be in England for David Haye versus Wladimir Klitschko. That means that I'm going to be gone for a week and a half."

The action follows what already has been a big year for Golden Boy Promotions, starting in March.

That's when Golden Boy's 20-year-old WBC junior middleweight belt-holder Saul Alvarez (37-0-1, 26 KOs) earned his crown with a unanimous decision over England's Matthew Hatton (41-5-2, 16 KOs).

In April, Ortiz rose from two knockdowns and scored two of his own during a unanimous decision that dethroned previously unbeaten WBC king Andre Berto (27-1, 21KOs).

In May, 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) became the oldest fighter in the history of the sport to win a significant world title, dethroning Canada's 28-year-old Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) as WBC light heavyweight champion.

Hopkins-Pascal was a rematch of December's controversial majority draw when the former undisputed middleweight titlist from Philadelphia had appeared to have out-boxed Pascal for the victory despite having been twice floored during the bout.

Alvarez returned for a June 18 clash to dominate his 12th-round knockout in a mandatory defense of his crown against England's 34-year-old Ryan Rhodes (45-5, 31 KOs), whom he dropped in the fourth round.

On the Alvarez-Rhodes undercard, Golden Boy's 21-year-old super featherweight sensation Adrien Broner (21-0) scored his 17th knockout, ending with a first-round stoppage that dethroned 27-year-old NABF king Jason Litzau (28-3, 21 KOs).

On June 25, there is a non-title, junior welterweight match up between Golden Boy's 28-year-old Argentinian Lucas Matthysse (28-1, 26 KOs) against southpaw former WBC titlist Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) of promoter Don King.

Golden Boy also handles the American affairs of 30-year-old WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KOs), who on July 2 will pursue his 16th straight victory and his 14th knockout during that run against 34-year-old WBO, IBF and IBO counterpart Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) in an attempt to end a 13-fight winning streak that includes 10 knockouts.

"Another big one is Lucas Matthysse, and then we have David Haye in Germany," said Schaefer. "I'm happy with the way things are coming along, and the way that our athletes are performing."

On July 9, Golden Boy Promotions is matching 28-year-old Cuban native Erislandy Lara (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a clash of southpaws opposite 29-year-old former three-time champion Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) on July 9.

On July 23, Golden Boy Promotions is has 24-year-old WBA junior welterweight champions Amir Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) of England going against 33-year-old Bronx native and southpaw IBF titlist Zab Judah (41-6, 28KOs) of Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

"The Khan-Judah fight is yet another big, major fight," said Schaefer.

On August 27, Golden Boy has 27-year-old WBA interim junior welterweight king Marcos Rene Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) of Argentina against 28-year-old southpaw WBO and WBA interim lightweight king Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs), who has 13 straight wins, nine of them stoppages, and is attempting to win his sixth belt in a fourth weight class.

Then on Sept. 17, there is Mayweather-Ortiz, a deal that was struck in the wake of a settlement between Golden Boy Promotions and southpaw eight-division and WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 knockouts) of a lawsuit that could pave the way for a smoothed over working relationship between Golden Boy and Pacquiao's Top Rank Promotions' CEO Bob Arum.

"Adrien Broner looked sensational and Alvarez looked sensational. All of our athletes are doing fantastic, and we're very proud of them. Whenever you have athletes performing at that level, then you want to make sure that you can continue to keep them busy," said Schaefer.

"You want to move them forward and to continue to give them the kind of opportunities. You see these young kids advance, and that's huge part of it," said Schaefer. "You want to continue to give them the opportunities, and that's why I am so busy with ensuring that we get the necessary television dates and exposure."

Schaefer had said that if Alvarez, slated to return on Sept. 17, defeated Rhodes, he could potentially land on a pay-per-view undercard to Mayweather-Ortiz and, perhaps, face the Mayweather-Ortiz winner.

But Arum recently told ESPN.com that he would scrap plans for his 25-year-old Mexican WBC middleweight king Julio Cesar Chavez (43-0-1, 30 KOs) if it mean an opportunity to face Alvarez perhaps at a catchweight of 158 pounds that would allow Alvarez to keep his belt.

Although Schaefer said that he is willing to entertain Chavez-Alvarez, and, even Pacquiao-Alvarez, his schedule simply does not permit him to devote much thought to it.

"The fact is that we want to do that fight [Chavez-Alvarez,] and Canelo is scheduled to fight on Sept. 17," said Schaefer. "So I don't have time to get into these back-and-forths about it right now. I'm toos busy now with all my other fights, so I can't go and engage now in these other things."

Source:  http://www.boxingscene.com

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"Now all of a sudden he's a problem" - Floyd Sr. talks Mayweather vs. Ortiz

These days trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. has been spending a lot of time at Johnny Tocco's Ring Side Gym on the east side of Las Vegas, working with a select group of fighters including junior lightweight contender Mickey Bey Jr., welterweight hopeful Lanardo Tyner, and standout amateur Kevin Newman. With his brother Jeff out of town and in Panama as he helps Celestino Caballero ready for his July 2nd shot at WBA featherweight champion Jonathan Barros, Floyd Sr. has stepped up to help Bey and Newman, two fighters he had worked with previously. 

Despite a lung disease called sarcoidosis that has admittedly affected his health in recent years, Mayweather was pretty lively as he oversaw the duties of the three fighters and was more than happy to take a few minutes of his time afterwards to talk some boxing. At the moment people are still buzzing over the news of Mayweather's son Floyd Jr. and his recent announcement that he will be facing off with WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on September 17th.

It was only natural for me to get Floyd's take on the matchup and he offered up a few forewarnings of his own, including his suspicions about Ortiz having previously worked with Manny Pacquiao out in Los Angeles.

"My thing is, and I would have to speak on that," said Floyd. "I know he's been around [Freddie] Roach's camp, but like I said, I feel that if Lil' Floyd will make them all take the Olympic tests, that's what they need. Because there's too much shit going on now. Too much bullshit going on now and it aint doing nothing but ruining boxing, period. Believe it or not, boxing is on its way out. Because of things like this. It's things like this that are ruining boxing."

Mayweather of course is referring to his belief that some of today's crop of fighters are using performance-enhancing drugs to boost their accomplishments in the ring. Floyd Jr. and Pacquiao saw the first round of negotiations for a possible encounter between them fall apart because of an indifference over Olympic-style drug testing and it is an issue that the elder Mayweather has never let up on.

But while everyone is entitled to their own opinion I tried to focus more on Floyd's impression of Ortiz as a fighter, including his upset over Andre Berto this past April.

"I got a chance to see a little of that," Sr. continued. "From what I've seen though, I see that Victor Ortiz is an aggressive young fighter, he's ten years Lil' Floyd's junior. Regardless to the style of fighting that he has, he's a left-hander and [Floyd] would do better with a right-hander but it doesn't make a difference; Lil' Floyd knows exactly what to do with Ortiz. He has too much knowledge up here. Where Ortiz doesn't really have."
  
Continuing further, the only real concern that Floyd Sr. seemed to hint at was over his son's recent inactivity, as he will have been out of the ring for over sixteen months by the time the Ortiz fight goes down.

"I do still believe that my son should stay more active or get out of the game, because I'm just saying that I don't care who you is, if you aren't being sharp, you lose that much sharpness and it can make a big difference. Of course if he aint fought as long as he has fought, he could have lost something. I don't care who you are; Mayweather, Cassius Clay or whoever.

"Sometimes when you lose things like that you will fight a guy like Ortiz who may cause you a problem where he normally wouldn't be a problem at all. But now all of a sudden he's a problem. Things happen. If you are a fighter you gotta keep yourself sharp. It's just like when people say 'tune up'. You need a tune up, whoever you are. It's just like car, there might be something wrong with it, it might be leaking oil, or whatever it is. It needs a tune up. You've got to stay tuned up all the time for whatever race or whatever it is you might be doing."

Reasonable thoughts from Papa Floyd, a man whose relationship with his son has often been checkered. Floyd will never shy away from his feelings towards his own child but he knows there is a definite sense of danger attached to his next ring endeavor.

"With my son, I feel that he's a great fighter. I feel that he's been the best fighter over the last ten or eleven years. He's still the best fighter today I belive. But I don't care who you are, how great you think you are, something can always go wrong." 

Source: http://www.examiner.com

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HBO PPV To Distribute September Mayweather Fight

HBO will distribute the Sept. 17 return to the boxing ring of undefeated fighter and mega pay-per-view draw Floyd Mayweather. 

Mayweather, who has not fought since May 2010, will fight World Boxing Council welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, according to HBO officials. It's the first marquee PPV boxing event for HBO, although the network did distribute an April 9 Erik Morales-Marco Maidana PPV event.

Showtime PPV has distributed the two biggest PPV events of the year, including the March 12 Miguel Cotto- -Ricardo Mayorga fight and the May 7 Manny Pacquiao-Sugar Shane Mosley fight. The Pacquio-Mosley event drew more than 1.3 million PPV buys. 

"The return of Floyd Mayweather is big news for the sport of boxing," said Mark Taffet, senior vice president of HBO Pay-Per-View. "September 17 is a terrific event for the industry."

Mayweather, along with Pacquiao, have been the biggest PPV draws in the sport over the past three years. Mayweather's last fight, a May 2010 bout against Mosley, drew 1.4 million PPV buys.  

The site for the fight has not been set, according to HBO. Press conferences to announce the fight will be held June 28 in New York and June 29 in Los Angeles, said network officials. 

Source: http://www.multichannel.com

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Even Manny Pacquiao Knows Ortiz is a Tune-Up for Floyd Mayweather

Of course Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants to fight Manny Pacquiao. The ridiculous rumors about Mayweather “ducking” his Filipino counterpart in an effort to preserve his undefeated record have always been ludicrous, and by virtue of his recent statements, Pacquiao is admitting this much.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News’ Ginger Conejero, Pacquiao had this to say regarding why he feels Mayweather chose Victor Ortiz as his next opponent.

"Siguro (lalaban sa akin), dahil ang kakalabanin niya southpaw rin. [Maybe he's preparing for me because he chose to fight a southpaw],"

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, echoed these sentiments.

"Of course, that's the first thing I thought," Roach previously said.

Mayweather has always been a far more talented boxer and skilled tactician than Pacquiao, but the idea that he could simply step back into the ring versus Pacquiao after a delayed absence is crazy. The September 17^th bout versus Ortiz will serve as an excellent warm-up for Floyd, and allow him to return to his in-ring comfort zone against a capable boxer who has gone undefeated in his last six matches. That, coupled with 10-year age gap that works in Ortiz’s favor should be just what the doctor ordered in terms of getting Mayweather back into game shape.

On the other side of things, it’s funny to hear both Pacquiao and Roach admit that Mayweather is in fact keeping them in mind while choosing his upcoming bouts. After all, this is the same dynamic duo who along with Bob Arum have made it their mission in life to spread the propaganda about Floyd ducking them. The same group, mind you, that has switched their story regarding why the initially refused, then agreed to, then refused to, then agreed to Mayweather’s drug testing demands, all the while blaming the other camp for a superfight never happening.

It’s good that Pacquiao is finally admitting that Mayweather does want to fight him, though, and that Floyd is using Ortiz as a warm-up for the real big dance. Maybe if the Filipino pop star acknowledges this fact a few more times in the media, his delusional cult followers will take notice and stop slandering Mayweather’s name with untrue, false allegations.

Source: http://www.opposingviews.com

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FLOYD MAYWEATHER SR: "HE IS A STRONG KID, BUT HE CAN'T MATCH LIL FLOYD SKILLWISE"

FightHype.com briefly caught up with world-class trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. to get his thoughts on his son's return to the ring this September to face WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. "I really don't know much about him, but I remember seeing him fight and he is a strong kid, but he can't match Lil Floyd skillwise. At the end of the day, any fighter out there has to match Lil Floyd skillwise and I just don't see anybody doing that," Mayweather Sr. commented when asked what he thought about Ortiz. Although he hasn't had an opportunity to watch too much footage on him, Mayweather Sr. is keenly aware that Ortiz is a southpaw, a fact that he doesn't think his son will have any problems with whatsoever.

"Let me tell you something, man, when you lose 2 or 3 rounds to a fighter and then dominate them the other 9 or 10 rounds and people say you struggle with that style, you know you are at the top of your game. People are basing that on Zab winning two or three rounds and Chop Chop stunning him. Come on, man. Lil Floyd is the best at figuring you out and picking you apart and it don't take him long either," he continued, dismissing the notion that Floyd has problems with southpaw fighters. Obviously Mayweather Sr. is confident that his son will come out victorious, however, he wasn't quite sure of how that victory would come about. "I don't know if Lil Floyd will knock him out, but he will whoop his ass for 12 rounds if nothing else," he remarked, making it clear that no matter the final outcome, he expects another dominant performance.

Whether or not he'll be a part of Lil Floyd's camp this time around is still up in the air, but he's more than willing to help out should the opportunity present itself. "He's my son and I want to see him do well. We will see," Mayweather Sr. added. Whether he's helping or not, something tells me you can expect to see Big Floyd in the gym when the 24/7 cameras start filiming.

Source: http://www.fighthype.com

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Victor Ortiz: The Young Padawan

I can see how Victor Ortiz’ promoter, Oscar Dela Hoya is also his number one believer. They’re both Mexican-Americans with talent and skill to complement their power, and Ortiz has raw power in both hands. Victor is called “Vicious” for a good reason: he has a crowd pleasing fighting style and is very aggressive, always looking to force the action in the ring; And Victor has that charm and rugged good looks that could pull that star status like a halo up above his head. In a way, they are much alike. Whether he has the elements and that broad smile to capture an even wider market, we all have to wait and see. Around two years ago when Oscar Dela Hoya cashed in on these factors and predicted him as the next golden boy of boxing things were looking good up ahead and the stars were indeed starting to align in his favor. Everything seemed to glow yonder the horizon for Ortiz’ up until he unexpectedly hit that Argentine bloc of force in the form of Marcos Maidana, who knocked him off the path to success.

But for the Mexican-American prizefighter, Victor “Vicious” Ortiz the prize of winning against Andre Berto last April 16, 2011 shoots beyond the rewards of gaining the WBC Welterweight title and settles at a higher plateau of that much sought regained respect. Every fighter is as good as his last fight, so they say, and Ortiz’ last one is a running contender to fight of the year for 2011. In fact, he was so good in that fight that he is now regarded as among the top Welterweights in the world, and that prior knockout loss he suffered against Maidana in 2009 has become a wound in the distant past which time healed nicely.

At the age of 24, the young and volatile Ortiz has switched from being a strong up-and-comer to being touted as the next big name in boxing, down to being an exposed fighter and now ranked by many boxing sites as being one of the top two Welterweights in the world. Still riding that natural high of capturing the WBC Welterweight belt, the question that looms over the new champion is, will he finally be able to overcome that instability and show to the world his championship win was not a mere stroke of good luck? Is he ripe enough to be plucked from the common and placed amongst the elite in the sport? For certainly, his next opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jr., at this point in his career doesn’t need a belt around his waist to be considered one.

Ortiz brings a lot of interest with him each time he fights not only due to his personal and professional background, but ‘cause he carries so much passion as a fighter. Almost like Oscar, he always comes forward with his arms up, looking boxy and basic. He comes in with that strong upper body figure and a decent jab, and being a lefty could pose some difficulty against Mayweather Jr. to some degree. With the conditioning he had against Andre Berto maybe he'd have enough energy to fuel the same long pressured attack De La Hoya applied against Floyd Jr. and there's a possibility that Ortiz could actually finish the job Oscar De La Hoya nearly accomplished back in 2007. If only De La Hoya had not stopped throwing those jabs at Floyd Jr. many agree how he really could have won that fight, and just maybe the energetic Ortiz could attempt to finish what he had started with youth on his side.

Whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. has chosen to fight Ortiz, being a southpaw, as a preparation for his potential fight against Pacquiao, doesn’t really matter at least for now that neither party has found any solution to that blood testing bedlam. Nobody really knows how the future of that fight is going to unfold, if it all; however, against Victor Ortiz, the latter appears to be the young Padawan up against a master Jedi.

Even if the younger Victor Ortiz were to fight at a much later date against an older version of Floyd Mayweather Jr., one who’s a bit past his best years, even that match up would still be a tough fight to call. Coated with slick and armed with skill, it is actually the intangible that is going to be the toughest quality to overcome when he fights the black American. Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s experience will overshadow whatever physical advantages Ortiz hopes to bring at the day of the fight. Mayweather Jr. will come in with that uncanny ability to run over the fight in his head in a way Ortiz can only dream of. He has the gift of foresight, deception as well as strong anticipation, and timing not every fighter is ensured to develop over the years. Floyd Jr. is that type of fighter who doesn’t rely as much on the physical as on the mental aspect of the game, and he is very clever at what he does. He is unpredictable and, therefore, difficult to trap but very perceptive when he decides to lunge an offensive. He’s a natural fighter. Needless to say he is equipped with so much talent and superb skill sets as well, which makes him the undefeated fighter he is now.

From supreme talent we go back to the tangibles. Victor Ortiz seems to have successfully carried his power moving up to Welterweight, which will be very crucial in his next fight. That’s what he needs to keep the pressure on Floyd Jr. altogether with endurance and stamina, but fighting flatfooted won’t help to further his cause. He needs to step up on his speed to actually apply that pressure and keep up with Mayweather Jr., who can be very flitty and stings like a bee. Two of the many things Floyd Jr. is very good at are striking that lead straight and a left hook. That same left hook that knocked down Marquez, and that check hook that made Hatton bang his head at the ring post. Whether it is accountable to his fighting style or frigid fight stance and less upper body movement, Victor Ortiz seems surely to fall prey to Mayweather’s lead right hand straight. I can see him eating those shots all night. If he took too many of those from a slow and predictable Marcos Maidana he surely will be receiving more from an elite fighter this time around. In his past fights he has been very vulnerable to counter left hooks too, which Mayweather executes to perfection. He also needs a quicker snapback whenever he throws his left straight or he’ll get beaten to the punch with counterpunches each time.

Whether we attribute it to his enthused fighting style or mere unfettered youthful aggression, I personally think Victor is too vicious that he overly commits when he fights, so when he’s at it he tends to disregard keeping the technical aspect of the fight game. He is exciting to watch ‘cause he can knock you out anytime, but the same goes with him. I just hope he won’t leave too many windows open against a straight shooter like Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Source: http://philboxing.com

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Mayweather-Ortiz in the works for Sept 17, announcement soon

I got word today from a very reliable insider that Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz is definitely being discussed for September 17 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and everything is all but finalized apart from the location. The info was shared to me under the condition of complete anonymity.

According to my source, it is a done deal and the fight should be announced some time this week in a press conference. Rumors about the fight surfaced a month ago, after Mayweather expressed interest in fighting Ortiz after witnessing his win over Andre Berto ringside at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, last April.

In 2010, Cowboys Stadium played host to a couple of big boxing cards both headlined by eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao . And as much as boxing fans would rather see Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting one another in September at Jerry Jones' state-of-the-art facility, the return of Mayweather in the ring, facing a dangerous and young converted southpaw like Ortiz, is definitely good news for the sport.

Remember where you read it first! Stay tuned for the formal announcement.

Source: http://www.examiner.com

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