Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz

By Paul Grossinger

Saturday, September 17

Boxing's undefeated million dollar man is back! Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0), the undefeated former pound for pound king, will fight Mexican-American sensation Victor Ortiz (29-2-2) for the WBC welterweight title!

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather is the biggest draw in boxing. His fights routinely average over one million pay-per-view buys; a figure matched only by his nemesis Manny Pacquiao. He now picks and chooses his fights with care but, after a long layoff since demolishing a faded Shane Mosley, it is time for him to re-enter the ring. This time, he will fight a top boxer in his prime, Victor Ortiz.

Ortiz is a bit of an enigma. He was not raised to be a star. In fact, up until recently, he worked part time and was unable to commit fully to fight training. His early career losses to Corey Alarcon and Marcos Maidana can be attributed at least partially to this lack of full commitment. However, since his 2010 draw with Lamont Peterson, Ortiz has fully committed to boxing and it shows in his results. In April, he narrowly defeated undefeated rising star Andre Berto in a tough, physical fight. Now, he is the second most skilled southpaw in the world after Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao and a tough challenger for 'Money' Mayweather.

For his part, Mayweather chose Ortiz because he is a rising star in the Mexican-American community, an emerging box office draw, and a left handed star. That last part is extremely important: 'Money' knows that he needs to fight Manny Pacquiao and beat him to secure his legacy as the best boxer of this era. Victor Ortiz is the best way to prepare himself for that fight. Ortiz lacks Pacquiao's otherworldly speed and elusiveness but he has the same skills and a tough, gritty style that Mayweather needs to learn how to counter effectively.

In this fight, look for Ortiz to be aggressive early. Mayweather is a notoriously slippery opponent and the best defensive fighter in recent boxing history. But, Shane Mosley got to him in Round 2 of their fight by being aggressive and, if his 39 year old body had not run out of gas, he could have put 'Money' away when he had him on the ropes. No one will ever win a fight with Floyd Mayweather by utilizing a cagey, defensive strategy. Ortiz is an aggressive fighter by nature so look for him to employ that mentality and go after his opponent early.

For his part, Mayweather will use his speed and elusiveness to tire Ortiz into the middle rounds while choosing his spots carefully. He will focus on avoiding Ortiz's stinging left hand and then, when Ortiz begins to tire, he will look to attack with some choice combinations. Never a knockout fighter, Floyd will look to use his speed and slippery style to outlast Ortiz, avoid his best punches, and outpoint him for a unanimous decision!

From Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz to Boxing Blog

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