Victor Ortiz's return is put to a hard stop by Luis Collazo in Brooklyn
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Jan 2014
New York - Victor Ortiz leaped from his corner when he heard that opening bell tonight at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tonight, the former welterweight champ makes his return to the ring after being sidelined by an injury in his last fight some eighteen months ago.
He was anxious and it showed in the ring. He wanted to end the doubts and the ridicule that he has endlessly received after a series of unpredicted finishes in the ring.
First was him quitting against Marcus Maidana, second was his head but attack on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and him being knocked out in the process. And then in his last fight against Josesito Lopez, he suffered a broken jaw that ended the possibility of another big payday fighting Saul Alvarez.
Tonight, in what seems to be a crossroads kind of fight for him and his opponent, hometown fighter and former title challenger, Luis Collazo, the road to recovery for Ortiz was derailed by a big right hook from his opponent in the dying seconds of the 2nd round of their fight.
Ortiz was wide and careless with his punches and Collazo landed a counter that shook the Kansas born former 147 champ.
Collazo who was landing the better punches between the two, followed that hook with two punches to the head on a bent and retreating Ortiz who fell to the canvass and stuck his head outside of the ropes to avoid added punishment.
Referee Benjie Esteves attempted the mandatory count but Ortiz's eyes showed no willingness to get back in that ring. He was dazed and shocked at the same time.
The 32 year old veteran Collazo retained his WBA International welterweight belt and improved to 35 wins with 18 KOs in front of his hometown fans, 7000 of them that trooped the arena in a cold winter Thursday night to watch him.
Luis Collazo also produced a highlight reel for his career, a vicious stoppage that will most likely be a stepping stone that will earn him a bigger fight in the future.
Luis Collazo moves on with the big win tonight, while Victor Ortiz will have to deal with more questions from the public and the media, and also questions that he will be asking himself when he looks at that image of him in that mirror of the dressing room at The Barclays.
Is this it for the hard punching, unpredictable son of boxing?
He can only answer that himself.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and on Twitter @Freemazon910.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
Sat, 13 Sep 2025WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
Sat, 13 Sep 2025SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
Fri, 12 Sep 2025National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025