By Joseph Herron: When this fight was announced back in June, there was a strange feeling had by many that it would never materialize. Now that we are here on the day of the big match-up, the air is electric, the anticipation is thick, and the fight predictions are flying!!
Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Vicious Victor Ortiz is happening tonight, live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena!!
For those who aren’t lucky enough to have ringside tickets, the four great bouts can be seen on HBO PPV for the bargain basement price of $59.95 in SD and $69.95 in HD.
Seeing that both fighters need very little introduction, let’s match ‘em up!!
Tale of the Tape
Floyd Mayweather Jr. – The Money man stands 5’8” and possesses a 72” reach. He fights out of an orthodox stance and is currently perfection personified with a 41-0 record and 25 knock outs.
The 34 year old pugilist is a 15 year ring professional and has been in the squared circle with many champions throughout his career: Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti, Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, DeMarcus Corley, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Genaro Hernandez.
Floyd is a five time world champion in five different weight classes, ranging from 130 to 154 pounds.
Although Mayweather has been on most boxing pundits’ pound for pound lists for the past ten years, there are many detractors who feel that the self proclaimed greatest of all time has failed to fight the best fighters of his day.
Floyd’s athletic gifts are second to none. With blinding hand speed, precision punching, and great footwork, any opponent who feels that they have what it takes to furnish Mayweather with his first loss quickly find themselves at a distinct disadvantage once the initial bell rings.
The gifted 34 year old fighter has great balance and hand-eye coordination. He uses the entire ring extremely well and fights proficiently off of his front and back foot. The defensive problems that he poses for his opponents have yet to be solved.
Floyd is a Grand Rapids, MI, fighter who uses the famous “Michigan Defensive Strategy” against his adversaries; a tactic in which he rolls away from his opponents’ offense while staying in position to land a perfect counter right hand.
He has great upper body and head movement, which creates a smaller target for opposing fighters, and he uses both sides of the ring effectively when facing a pressure fighter. Floyd possesses deceptive power in both fists, but he has been plagued with hand problems over the past ten years.
Floyd’s greatest asset is his uncanny ability to adapt to any opponents’ style. His physical endurance and mental toughness are only rivaled by few fighters throughout history. This makes the Money man an almost impossible combatant to defeat.
Although Floyd looked tremendous in his previous two performances against Juan Manuel Marquez and Sugar Shane Mosley, he has only fought two opponents over a span of 3 ½ years.
At the age of 34, will the long period of inactivity affect Floyd’s timing in tonight’s fight?
Victor Ortiz – The Vicious one stands 5’9” and has a 70” reach. The 24 year old pugilist fights out of a southpaw stance and possesses tremendous power in both hands. Although the Garden City, KS, native has two defeats and two draws on his resume, he has knocked down and hurt every single one of his opponents…even in loss.
Once accused of fighting with “no heart”, Victor Ortiz has shown that he has what it takes to fight through major adversity to achieve the hard fought victory. Ortiz has balance issues and often punches on his toes, which leaves him vulnerable for off-balance knock-downs if countered with straight right hands.
Although Ortiz has shown defensive lapses throughout his career, he possesses a 29-2-2 record with 22 knock-outs. His offensive gifts often make up for his defensive holes against most opponents, but if he hopes to defeat the most accurate puncher in boxing, Victor Ortiz must use a tighter defense and keep his chin tucked at all times.
Most of Victor’s opponents make the mistake of focusing on his straight left hand and forget about his vicious right hook, right uppercut combination. Victor is a fearless aggressor and fights better than most realize on the inside. This will be a key factor when pointing out his recipe for success against Pretty Boy Floyd.
Ortiz has only defeated 3 champions in his entire career: Vivian Harris, Andre Berto, and Nate Campbell. But at the age of 24, Victor feels that he has the youth, power, and endurance to dethrone the self proclaimed king of boxing.
His biggest strengths are his overall tenacity and punching power. The Oxnard, CA, resident feels that he has the power to knock-out any opponent if he simply lays the gloves on them.
Victor is entering tonight’s fight as the reigning and defending WBC Welterweight Champion and is supremely confident that he has what it takes to hand Mayweather his first loss.
Keys to Victory
The key for a Mayweather victory is distance, distance, distance!! He needs to keep Victor Ortiz at a safe distance throughout the entire fight by using his footwork and straight right hand, left hook combination. He wants to make Victor Ortiz attempt to lunge in with the straight left hand, to catch him off balance and time him with a right hand counter.
If Floyd can time him while making him miss, he can pot shot Ortiz all night long with the straight right hand. If Floyd starts to land the straight right with regularity, he can set up everything else that comes with the Mayweather arsenal: left hook, left uppercut, straight right to the body, and right hook to the jaw.
As soon as PBF feels his back touch the top rope, he absolutely must move laterally to his left. Floyd has to keep the fight in the center of the ring and create lots of space between him and his opponent.
If he can keep Victor at a safe distance and control the tempo of the fight, making it a boxing match, he will easily shut down Victor’s attack and possibly stop him in the mid to late rounds.
In order for Victor Ortiz to be successful tonight, he must not give Floyd the kind of respect that most of his opponents display. The vicious one has to start quickly and charge at the defensive master. He cannot fight Floyd in the center of the ring. Victor has to turn the bout into a physical brawl and punish Floyd on the inside with right hooks to the body and head.
He must show upper body and head movement as he works his way inside. He absolutely cannot lunge in with the straight left hand from outside, or Floyd will slip and counter him effectively while Victor is off balance.
If Victor can work his way inside feinting with the jab and straight left hand, he could land the right hook to the body and head, followed up with short left hooks to the jaw, hurting the undefeated fighter.
If he goes for broke in the early rounds, turning the bout into a dogfight, Victor Ortiz could hurt Floyd Mayweather Jr. and pull off the unexpected upset before Floyd is able to adapt.
Prediction
This fight will be decided by who is mentally stronger and ultimately more confident. If Victor Ortiz comes into this fight with the same tenacity he showed against Andre Berto, he could indeed pull of the huge upset. But, if he shows Floyd Jr. too much respect and fights tentatively, it will be a long night for the reigning WBC Welterweight Champ.
I feel that Victor will come out guns a blazin’ and pull off the amazing upset victory over the undefeated defensive master. Both men will have their moments within the fight, but Victor will press the action from start to finish and win a close, split decision victory over Floyd Mayweather Jr, knocking down the pound for pound fighter 2 or 3 times in the process to retain his WBC Welterweight title.