ARUM DOESN?T BELIEVE ORTIZ CAN BEAT MAYWEATHER
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 17 Sep 2011
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum doesn?t believe that Victor ?Vicious? Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO?s) can beat undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0, 25 KO?s) when Ortiz defends his WBC welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, Manila Time.
Arum who would like nothing better than to ultimately promote a megabuck $100 million epic between Mayweather and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao told the Inquirer that he was not even thinking of a possible Pacquiao fight against Ortiz for two reasons.
The first is that he doesn?t believe Ortiz can win because Arum said ?he?s nothing much. He doesn?t have a good right hand and Mayweather is not going to be in trouble.?
The second is that ?they have a contract that if he (Ortiz) wins, which he?s not going to, they have to do a rematch.?
The bookmakers in Las Vegas obviously share Arum?s view as Ortiz is a 6-to-1 underdog. The only thing going for him is the fact that he is 24 years old which is some 10 years younger than the 34 year old Mayweather Jr who will enter the ring after a 16 month layoff.
Ortiz, the Golden Boy Promotions prot?g? got his first title shot when he faced hard-hitting Marcos Maidana of Argentina on June 27, 2009 for the WBA interim junior welterweight belt. Ortiz was stopped in the sixth round.
However, Ortiz recovered from that setback with a spectacular twelve round unanimous decision over Andre Berto to win the WBC welterweight title last April 6.
The southpaw who has been ridiculed and pushed around by Mayweather all week culminating in the weigh in where Mayweather attempted to strangle Ortiz, has said he loves having his WBC belt adding "I plan to keep it for a long, long time."
Las Vegas Review Journal?s Steve Carp quoted Ortiz who said "I don't see myself as a champion. I'm still hungry. Mayweather talks about how 41 guys have tried and 41 guys have failed. But none of those 41 guys are me. He's a person who likes to talk. But assassinations are silent.?
Ortiz added ?I have nothing to lose. Mayweather has had his time. I'm taking the torch from him."
Meantime Carp reported that the Ortiz camp has accused Mayweather of illegal tactics and notified Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer that it wants referee Joe Cortez to be made aware of them before the fighters' meeting prior to Saturday?s weigh- in.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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