by Geoffrey Ciani (Interviewed by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) – Last week’s 121st edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with the newly crowned WBC welterweight champion of the world “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) who scored an upset victory against previously unbeaten champion Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KOs) just last week. Ortiz spoke about his victory, talked about the future, and shared opinions on the current boxing landscape. Here are some excerpts from that interview:
On scoring the victory against Andre Berto to win the WBC welterweight championship:
“It’s an amazing feeling to have captured such a great title with such great recognition, especially given the fact that I was the big underdog. I wasn’t supposed to go far with the world seemed to call the biggest threat at 147. I said it from the get go on day one that I agreed to disagree with that because I figured I was a threat.”
Regarding his expectations going into the Andre Berto fight:
“My expectations were actually to knock him out. I actually came up a little short about that, but you know it was a great fight regardless. I took Berto’s heart, I conquered his body and his spirit, and that to me was worth more than a knockout. I did exactly what I said I was going to do. Everybody seemed to disagree with me. I was very certain as to what I was going to do. There were some mistakes that took place along the way. I got dropped and it only made the excitement a little better for me.”
His thoughts at the time after dropping Berto in the first round of their fight:
“I was actually just thinking wow! The welterweight champion of the world just tasted the canvas in the first round. So I’m thinking to myself I should get him out. I should try to get him out and I just kind of said to myself no. You know what this is going to be a twelve round battle. He is tough, he is going to get up, and he’s going to go to war with me. Sure enough I was right, and I stuck to my game plan and listened to my corner. I stayed composed and took it round by round.”
Regarding what he was thinking after the knockdown he suffered in round two of his fight against Berto:
“Not a whole lot. I knew it wasn’t one of those things where he actually knocked me down. I just felt like this was kind of crappy, but I already had the sense that the referee was kind of going against me. So it didn’t surprise me one bit. I took it for what it was worth. I was just like alright baby! You think you dropped me? Alright! No worries. Let your head grow. So I just kept composed under the circumstance and just kept going.”
On what he was feeling when he was dropped big a big shot from Berto in round six:
“I mean I got dropped only because I didn’t listen to my corner. They told me to keep that left hand up. I disobeyed them and I faced the consequences shortly after. I didn’t go down thinking oh man! This is going to be a tough fight! I went down thinking oh damn! I just failed my corner, but you know what? It’s all good. I’m going to get you! I’m going to knock you out! I’m going to be the new champion of the world. I am the new WBC champion. So I kept very positive beyond that whole moment and returned the favor.”
On coming back and landing a big shot that dropped Berto near the very end of the sixth round:
“Well you know, I didn’t feel like I was hurt. When I went back and saw the fight I actually did see my legs wobble a little bit. I guess there was so much determination going on through me I really didn’t feel any pain or any kind of hurt. The referee was kind of eyeing it a couple of times so I’m just thankful that I had enough courage to turn around and drop him and then jump on him like a lion. Except the only difference was that he had time to finish me and I had no time to finish him. Otherwise I assure you it would have ended in that round, because I bounced back on him and the bell rang. So he was definitely saved by the bell.”
On how it felt when he was announced as the new WBC welterweight champion of the world:
“There were so many mixed emotions. I wasn’t supposed to get there according to everyone, according to statistics, according to the media, and according to everyone in the boxing world and the boxing game. I wasn’t supposed to make it so it meant a great deal to me to have the people who most believed in me, my team, my manager, and everyone right beside me that never took that hope off of me and just declared me the new WBC champion of the world. I told my manager from day one in training camp, I said I’m not leaving that ring without that belt! That WBC crown will be mine! One way or another, war or knockout, it’s going to be mine. That was just a very touching moment for me along with all of my team. I mean I cried and it just felt good to be announced as the new WBC champion of the world, especially because I didn’t fight a nobody. I fought an undefeated welterweight threat to Manny Pacquiao and to Floyd Mayweather. In my eyes I saw that as nonsense. I knew that I belonged in the world championship level and now that I’m there I’m just thankful.”
His views on the fact that Berto was often mentioned as a possible future opponent for Mayweather and Pacquiao and whether he believes he should not be mentioned as a potential foe for those fighters:
“I hope they give me a shot, both of them! That would be great!”
Regarding whether he is concerned that a fight with Pacquiao may be difficult to make as a result of strained relations between Golden Boy and Top Rank:
“You know what, if the fight’s supposed to happen it will happen. I don’t really care what Bob Arum has to say or Top Rank. As far as I’m concerned if a fighter wants to fight a fighter and they agree on it, hey! It should be happening. As far as anybody else is concerned and anybody else’s two cents on that, I think they should just hold it.”
On whether he was able to neutralize Berto’s speed or whether Berto was simply not as fast as advertised:
“I think the media has it twisted. How about it’s more along these lines, Victor is not that fast. That’s what everybody was focusing on, and with me I have disagreed many different times on that. They say I’m not faster, as fast, or fast enough for certain people but I know when I can match someone’s speed or I know when I’m faster than someone. In this case I knew I was faster than Berto. I saw how he jabs. I saw how he throws. The difference with me is I commit to each of my punches and they carry power. So they are very powerful and fast, so I know I carry the speed and the power. A lot of people for some reason, maybe they focus on my power, maybe they focus on something else, maybe the shoes I’m wearing, but they never catch the speed that I carry. So as far as I’m concerned I can’t even tell you what people do think about me and I won’t sit here and tell you that maybe Berto was faster than me or maybe a certain person is quicker than me because I don’t believe that! I don’t believe that Berto is faster than me, not now, not ever!”
On whether he feels this victory silences the critics who have questioned his heart since losing the Maidana fight:
“A critic is always going to be a critic. Who knows? As far as I’m concerned maybe in the next couple of weeks or something, there is going to be something along the lines of Berto is just not up to Victor’s style, maybe Berto is not fit for Victor, maybe Victor’s got too much experience in the pros. I don’t really know. I can’t really answer that question. As far as I’m concerned though, I know I happen to be the WBC champion of the world as of right now and I’ll be reigning for many years to come. It’s going to be one hell of a night for anyone who tries to step into that ring with me.”
Regarding whether he has any desire to avenge his loss against Marcos Maidana:
“Maidana is nothing. I had an off night. It was a fluke. You, myself, the world knows it, Maidana knows it. I’ve called out Maidana time and time again. I’ve begged him! I’ve told him I don’t want his money. I don’t want anything from him. I’ll sign my check over to you. I just want an opportunity to fight you when I was 140 and he just never said anything. He said oh no, I don’t know, I got to talk to my corner. Dude! The moment they asked me I gave you the shot on the spot. As far as I’m concerned there is no Maidana in my dictionary anymore. That’s actually an insult to Berto for you to ask me that question.”
His views on whether Shane Mosley has a chance to score an upset against Manny Pacquiao:
“Everyone’s got a chance, always! You got eight ounce gloves in there you got a chance. Now which way is the fight going to go? I’m not a wizard. I can’t tell the future. I’m not a psychic but I can tell you it’s going to be a great fight.”
His views on whether he can take a shot from a power punch at welterweight:
“I can take a shot from you! I can take a shot from anyone. I can take a shot from anyone who weighs anywhere from 160 to about 210.”
On when we can expect to see him back inside the ring:
“Boxing is the last thing on my mind right now. I’m going to go enjoy some Caribbean time and some down time for the next few weeks and then when I come back I think my manager will take care of letting the world know who and when I’m fighting next. Am I dodging anyone? No! Will I fight anyone? Absolutely!”
His views on the future:
“Well I’m not planning on letting this world championship leave me anytime soon, so you’ll be seeing welterweight champion of the world for a long time. His name is Victor Ortiz, known as vicious.”
On what he would like to say to his fans and supporters:
“I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone and all! Love me or hate me, just thank you!”
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For those interested in listening to the Victor Ortiz interview in its entirety, it begins approximately one hour and thorty-four minutes into the program.
RIGHT CLICK and ‘SAVE AS’ TO DOWNLOAD EPISODE #121
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