Victor Ortiz soaking up the spotlight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been here before. Many times.
He has fought numerous huge fights during his career. From mega-pay-per-view bouts with Oscar De La Hoya to Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton, Mayweather is used to the rollout of a huge promotion.

He's used to the massive media crush, the mind-boggling demand for his time, the stream of cameras and fans and the cross-country promotional tours -- not to mention the omnipresent HBO "24/7" cameras, which film almost nonstop during the build-up to the fight for the network's four-part reality series, the latest edition of which kicks off Aug. 27.

Mayweather is an old pro at all of this.

Victor Ortiz, who faces Mayweather on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV? Not so much. Actually, not at all.

The newly crowned 24-year-old welterweight titleholder -- who claimed his belt in an enthralling, knockdown-filled decision win over Andre Berto in April -- has never been in a fight even remotely close to this magnitude.

Now he has been thrust into the eye of the storm as the promotion for his fight, Mayweather vs Ortiz dubbed "Star Power," kicked off with a news conference/fan rally in New York on Tuesday with a full day of media rounds and appearances scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles followed by an evening fan rally/news conference.

Ortiz still has plenty of time to adjust to what is sure to be an overwhelming promotion before he steps into the ring to defend his belt for the first time. But right now, he is like a deer in headlights amid the overload of a promotion the likes of which he has never seen.

"He's already overwhelmed by the moment, like a little boy who is quiet and scared but understands something is happening with him," Rolando Arellano, Ortiz's longtime manager, admitted to me over the phone after the formal press conference.

Watching the press conference via Internet stream, it seemed like it was all Ortiz could do not get swallowed up Tuesday when they kicked things off at the Hudson Theater in Manhattan.

Ortiz is experiencing things in this promotion that he never has come close to in his boxing career.

But they are nothing compared to what he has dealt with in real life. He comes from a broken home in which his parents abandoned their children, leaving Ortiz and his siblings to fend for themselves while shuffling in and out of foster care.

As Ortiz likes to say, he's not supposed to be here. He's supposed to be a statistic, a dead-end kid with no future. He has talked about that before other fights in the past and reiterated it for the world to hear again at Tuesday's press conference.

But here he is, having persevered to overcome many things in his real life and ring life to land a massive fight with one of the most significant fighters on the planet for a multi-million dollar payday.

On Monday, Ortiz flew in a private plane for the first time when he traveled from Los Angeles to New York. He also said he rode in a limo for the first time.

These are the perks of his "arrival," which he happily shared with younger brother Temo Ortiz, whom he practically raised.

I asked Ortiz if he has enjoyed those luxuries.

"Not really, it's kind of weird," he said. "I'm as real as they come, so to have this in my life is weird. I accept it. It's pretty awesome. It's definitely a nice experience. I've never had anything like this, so it's something new. I'm just accepting it for what it is. I'm just a normal guy. I'm having fun, man, period. Nothing more, nothing less."

Couldn't seem to make up his mind, could he? Perhaps he was a little dazed and confused from the big day. He looked like he was having nervous fun at the press conference, smiling away as the flash bulbs and lights seemed to blind him.

"I was taking it all in," he said. "It's pretty cool, man. This position has just been bound to happen. It was a matter of time. I'm here now and I'm not letting it go."

Arellano said he enjoyed watching Ortiz's introduction to a major league promotion.

"It's almost a giddy feeling," Arellano said. "Not only do I watch him, I watch his brother and there are moments of them being overwhelmed, like they just have this look where it's like, 'Damn, I've never seen this many cameras, never done this many interviews.' This is a shared experience for them.

"For me, it's an honor and privilege because I was able to help build the road for these kids to walk on and now see the culmination. These were kids who were supposed to fail, kids who were in and out of foster care, kids whose parents dumped them. Everything was stacked against them, but they've broken down the barriers and gotten to that promised land. It's a great feeling for me, almost like parenting."

Ortiz said he has always wanted to fight Mayweather.

"I knew it would happen," Ortiz said. "I said it when I was 9."

I'm not sure if he was really 9, because Mayweather was just starting out then, but his point was well taken.

"When I was a kid, I said one day I'd be world champion and I will give Floyd Mayweather his first defeat. The time has come and I'm ready."

Immediately after beating Berto, Ortiz said he wanted to fight the big names. It certainly seemed possible, but not necessarily in his next fight.

"I wanted the best name out there and I wanted Mayweather, and it happened," Ortiz said. "I was surprised it happened actually. Before I even fought Berto, I said, 'After I knock out Berto I want Mayweather.' Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. So I didn't knock out Berto, but I came close and won, and now I have Mayweather."

Mayweather, who can verbally attack an opponent as well as anyone, played nice with Ortiz, who also showed respect. Their posedown was anything but tension-filled. They smiled, shook hands and stood close together as the photographers snapped away.

"Anytime I've ever seen Mayweather in the past, there has always been a mutually friendly vibe," Ortiz said. "So I didn't know what to expect from him. He came at me nice, but I'm going to be reigning for a long time. We know it's competition."

Ortiz admitted he was soaking up all the attention and had not really started thinking about the actual fight.

"I'm not in training camp yet, so I have no game plan, nothing going on other than living in the moment," he said. "But I will be ready."

He had better be, because the last thing he wants to do is get caught up in the moment under the bright lights when the bell rings. It's fine during the initial media crush, but it would be a disaster if it happened with a fighter the caliber of Mayweather across the ring from him.

Arellano said Ortiz will be fully focused by the time the fight arrives.

"He's been in big arenas, but not in with a star like Mayweather, so that's where you turn to your team," Arellano said. "It's up to us to make sure he is laser focused on the objective. The focus will start in the next couple of weeks, when we start putting barriers around him, start watching film of Mayweather and start the training with Danny Garcia. We talk about how each day of camp is like we are taking one step at a time climbing up this mountain. If the whole thing [of the promotion] gets to be too much for him, we'll put that perimeter around him."

During the press conference, one of the promotional videos hyping the fight included footage of a space shuttle launch. Arellano noticed it.

"Basically, it's like Victor is in the space shuttle right now and about to look down on Earth," he said. "He knows he's going to the stars and he's waiting to see the view."

The fight is 2½ months away. Ortiz has plenty of time to get his head out of the clouds between now and the moment of combat.

Ortiz Ready for Mayweather

Hundreds of Angelenos were on hand Wednesday night for the Mayweather vs Ortiz LA press conference at Nokia Plaza at LA LIVE in Downtown Los Angeles. It marked the second day of a press conference tour which began Tuesday in New York City to promote their September 17 showdown in Las Vegas.

Ortiz displayed some character at last night’s press conference as Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer welcomed the media and fans in attendance, and made introductions to the September 17 pay per view card billed as “Star Power.”

“I am the star and the power,” Ortiz responded as he interrupted Schaefer.

Shortly after, Schaefer introduced Mayweather’s advisor Leonard Ellerbe. “I want to thank Victor Ortiz for taking the challenge to fight Floyd Mayweather” Ellerbe said

“It’s not a challenge when you are the champ” Ortiz commented on Ellerbe’s opening statement.

For Victor Ortiz from nearby Oxnard California, this will be his first defense of the WBC Welterweight on a big stage against one the best pound for pound boxers today in Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I am going to show you all how I roll,” said Ortiz. “I am going knock this dude out or if he wants to box I am going to box him if he wants to dance we will dance and at the same time I am getting sick and tired of everyone saying he is going to fight Pacquiao next. No he is fighting me ‘Vicious’ Victor Ortiz.”

In his last fight Ortiz won the WBC welterweight title over Andre Berto by unanimous decision, a fight in which he was a 4-1 underdog and many experts picked Berto to win. That fight Ortiz came out strong the first round knocking down and overpowering the champion Berto, the fifth round was an explosive one with Berto beginning to take control knockdown Ortiz, however Ortiz was not done as he closed that round knocking down the champ as Ortiz won a tough and competitive bout. Floyd Mayweather was at ringside more likely scouting his next opponent. Prior to the Andre Berto fight, Ortiz had been criticized for his performance in a draw against Lamont Peterson, as many began to wonder he had lost his killer instinct after his 2009 TKO loss to Marcos Maidana. Ortiz proved many wrong as he defeated previously undefeated Andre Berto and now sets his sights on Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Both Mayweather and Ortiz have agreed to drug testing under the U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA) protocol for this bout.

“On September 17 the same thing will occur what happened September 17, 1985, when Julio Cesar Chavez knocked out Roger Mayweather, this one is for Mexican fans” Stated an enthusiastic Victor Ortiz.

The fight will be one day after Mexican Independence Day. Ortiz begins training camp July 6 and opens up as a 7-1 underdog

STAR POWER, Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. “Vicious” Victor Ortiz will take place Saturday September 17, 2011 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas and will be shown live on HBO PPV at 9pmET/6pm PT. Promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions.

Source: fightnews.com

Victor Ortiz has a puncher's chance

On September 17, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will return to the ring after a 16-month layoff to take on “Vicious” Victor Ortiz in a bout some are writing off as a tune-up fight for “Money” Mayweather. As the press tour kicked off this week, Mayweather ended up fielding more questions about Manny Pacquiao than Victor Ortiz. Could the general public be overlooking Ortiz?

Casual boxing fans may not be aware of Ortiz. Sporting a 29-2 record with 22 wins coming by way of knockout, Ortiz is coming off of an impressive victory against Andre Berto in his last fight as Mayweather sat ringside. Rumblings that Mayweather was scouting his next opponent rang true when it was announced that Ortiz would be the man to greet the undefeated fighter when he returned to the ring. But thoughts of Ortiz being a tomato can should be put to rest immediately. Prior to his win against Berto, Ortiz was lambasted by boxing critics for committing cardinal sin #1 in a fight: quitting. Although Ortiz was being prematurely crowned as the next Oscar De La Hoya, his lofty status was shot down when he fought Marcos Maidana in July 2009.

An exciting fight turned brutal as the hard hitting Maidana floored in the sixth round and he presumably quit when given the chance to continue due to swelling in one eye and a deep cut over the other. His future in the sport appeared to be in trouble but Ortiz has come back with a 5-0-1 record and claimed the WBC welterweight title after beating Berto.

No, Ortiz is not expected to win. But who is a real threat to Mayweather aside from Pacquiao? What Ortiz does have is power in both hands and he fights from a Southpaw stance even though he is right-handed. As anyone, he definitely has a puncher’s chance and at the age of 24, he has tons of room to improve. Mayweather, on the other hand, is 34 and reaching the age when he can get “old” in the ring at any given moment. That’s exactly what Ortiz needs to hope for on September 17th. Because if the Mayweather we all know comes to play, it’s going to be a rough night for Ortiz.

Still, it should be a fun event. We’re just hoping that Ortiz understands what he is facing.

Source: drjays.com

"STAR POWER" Photos at New York Presser

Mayweather wants Pacquiao after Ortiz!

NEW YORK — Unbeaten US fighter Floyd Mayweather will end a 16-month layoff against southpaw Victor Ortiz in September but still hopes to give fans a long-sought showdown with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather, 41-0 with 25 knockouts, will face World Boxing Council welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, 29-2-2 with 22 knockouts, on September 17 at Las Vegas with an eye toward another southpaw, Pacquiao, after that.

"After this fight, if I'm able to negotiate a Pacquiao fight, it could happen," Mayweather said. "(Ortiz) is a southpaw. That could lead to the Pacquiao fight. If it does or it doesn't, I'm not going to stop fighting."

Most of the fights on Mayweather's agenda are legal ones. He faces three court cases, including charges from an incident with an ex-girlfriend that could bring up to 34 years in prison, plus a defamation lawsuit from Pacquiao.

Asked how that federal lawsuit could affect negotiations for a Pacquiao fight, Mayweather said, "I'm not sure at all."

"You go through ups and downs in life. If that's how he feels, things happen. If he wants to go to court for defamation of character, that's up to him."

Pacquiao argues that his reputation was damaged when Mayweather accused him of being a dope cheat in his push to have "Pac-Man" take blood tests close to the date of a fight, something the Filipino star has steadfastly refused but something that is also not required by any US boxing oversight group.

"Hopefully Manny Pacquiao steps up to the plate and takes the test so we can fight," Mayweather said. "I'm waiting for the fight to happen. I'm taking one step at a time."

Ortiz and Mayweather will be undergo extra blood and urine tests beyond usual levels before their fight. Mayweather had similar rules in place before his most recent fight, a victory over Shane Mosley in May of last year.

"I've been missing the sport," Mayweather said. "I'm happy to be back performing for the fans."

Mayweather said he is trying to shrug off the court cases to focus on fighting Ortiz and that because he is a fighter, he might be seen as guilty in incidents involving physical contact before all the facts are given to a jury.

"They are already saying I'm guilty with no photos or pictures of anything," Mayweather said. "I need to see some pictures and see some proof of what I have done. All of this is just hearsay.

"All I need to do is go out there and stay focused and focus on what is in that squared circle."

Mayweather, who said he has played basketball but not worked out in the ring recently, put himself in the champion's shoes with his unbeaten record although it will be only Ortiz who owns a title when they climb into the ring.

"He's trying to dethrone me," Mayweather said. "My job is to go out there and fight like I always do."

Source:

Mayweather is always worth watching

NEW YORK -- Floyd Mayweather is one of those entertainers who falls into the "either you love them or you hate them" category.

His fans (and there are hordes of them -- a few hundred queued up at the Hudson Theater on West 44th St. in the blazing sun on Tuesday to watch the news conference banging the drums for his Sept. 17 fight against Victor Ortiz) point to his stellar technique in the ring, the sweetly scientific skills that allow Mayweather to boast with some viability that he is an all-time, pound-for-pound great. Those who don't care for Mayweather most often cite his tendency towards boastfulness. They'll point out that he hasn't always appeared to seek out the stiffest challengers en route to piling up a 41-0 (25 KOs) record and six titles in five weight divisions.

Evidence suggests, though, that folks in both camps -- those who admire the brash hitter, and those who don't dig the antics of the man who in P Diddy-ish fashion rebranded himself "Money" after going by the "Pretty Boy Floyd" tag -- pay up to watch him fight.

Some stats to back that up: In seven pay-per-view fights, Mayweather has amassed 6.9 million buys and garnered $375 million in revenue; his 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya did a record 2.44 million buys and a record $137 million in revenue. Tune in to see him expertly ply his trade, or tune in to see him get his block knocked off -- either way, people tune in.

So the fight game, the fans, the haters, and the suits who share in the take when Mayweather gloves up are all happy to see the 34-year-old back in the ring after 16 months away. He will allow the 24-year-old Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) -- a kid who came up the hard way in Kansas in a series of foster homes after being abandoned by his mother at age seven, and then by his father five years later -- a chance for a majestic signature win. Boxing fans have hungered for a couple years now to see Mayweather and the Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao face off for true bragging rights to the mythical pound-for-pound title. But a rumble with a young gun like Ortiz, coming off a stellar April win against WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, has been met with an upbeat buzz on message boards and at water coolers.

It will be something of a relief for his backers to be able to focus on the in-the-ring element of Mayweather's life. He has been plagued by a series of brushes with the law in the past nine months. Charges are pending against the fighter for a Sept. 2010 clash with his ex-gal pal, the mother of his three kids, all of whom were up on the dais with the fighter and his posse on Tuesday. Mayweather seems to butt heads with security guards wherever he goes as well. Two months after the domestic situation, he got into a dispute with a security guard at his residence, and was charged with battery. A month after that, he was caught on tape getting into a beef with another guard at his community in Las Vegas.

On June 27, it was revealed that a man has filed a civil suit against Mayweather. The accuser says Mayweather, in May 2010, ordered his bodyguards to attack him at The Palms (Las Vegas) valet area. His woes also include a pending defamation suit lodged by Pacquiao, who maintains Mayweather and his crew accused him of taking illegal performance-enhancers; a week ago Mayweather blew off a deposition session for that case.

So, one might think that these legal entanglements hang heavy on Mayweather-s head -- that his ability to concentrate on the task of handling Ortiz, who has sent each and every one of his foes to the canvas since he turned pro -- might be compromised.

Not so, said Mayweather on Tuesday. "Absolutely not," he maintained. "You go through certain things in life. Everybody has certain obstacles put in front of them."

He said that writers play up negative aspects of his behavior, and found a silver lining in his travails, as he thanked writers who spoke ill of him for keeping him "relevant."

Mayweather wouldn't explicitly say that some or all of the accusations stem from people looking to make a buck off him. But he did note that one specific allegation of misbehavior was proven false via a tape of one incident which was leaked to the gossip website TMZ. "Things happen, you live and learn, I don't worry about anything, what's going to happen in life is going to happen, the only thing you can do is only hope for the best."

Some wonder if Mayweather should worry if he will be a free man come Sept. 17. He is facing a bevy of charges. New York attorney Keith Sullivan, who is active in the fight game, offered ESPNNewYork.com his take on Mayweather's prospects in his legal battles.

"On the home front, he has a domestic violence charge pending, for the alleged assault on his ex," Sullivan said. "This case won't hit the courts until after the Ortiz fight. However, he is looking at four felony charges. He also has two pending misdemeanor assault cases involving security guards at his housing complex. One of the two is scheduled for trial on Sept. 1. His attorneys are likely to get this matter adjourned until after the fight."

"Manny seems poised to score a knockout victory against Floyd in the federal defamation suit," Sullivan continued. "Mayweather violated the judge's order to appear for a deposition in mid-June. Disobeying any judge is never good, but particularly a federal judge. Manny's lawyer will likely seek a default judgment against Floyd. If the two ever fight, Manny may be able to walk with both purses to satisfy the judgment.

"The most serious legal problem is the felony domestic violence charges. I suspect his legal team will do everything in their power to show the court that Floyd is contrite and willing to partake in anger-management programs and community service as punishment. This case hinges almost entirely on his ex's willingness to testify against him. He can run, slip, duck, bob and weave away from fighters, but the law is said to have a long arm for a reason, it always catches up to you."

Mayweather didn't seem like a rattled man on Tuesday. He told the media and fans that he'd like to fight maybe 10 more times, and that he does want to fight Pacquiao -- if Pacquiao agrees to super-stringent performance-enhancing drug testing, which Ortiz has agreed to. He talked of wanting to be a superlative family man, and keeping his kids off the computer, lest they read inaccurate stories about their dad.

Backers will say he has matured. Detractors will say he is posturing.

But maybe people in both camps should root for Floyd to disentangle himself smoothly from the claws of the courts. As fan Anthony Ciarla, a 25-year-old from Bloomfield, N.J., who had a day off from managing the frozen food section at a supermarket put it as he waited to get inside the theater: "His character is very good for boxing. He appeals to everyone. You either love him or hate him. You pay to see him either way."

Source: espn.go.com

Floyd : Do I want to fight Pacquiao? Absolutely!

Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Victor “Vicious” Ortiz held a press conference today, June 28, at the Hudson Theater (Milennium Broadway) along 145 West 44th Street for their September 17 WBC welterweight title fight, with the promotions dubbed as “Star Power”.

With throngs of fans lining up as early as 10am at a venue usually reserved for Broadway shows, the first of two pressers for the match-up (the other is in LA) started at almost 1 PM with chants from both Ortiz and Mayweather fans as soon as both fighters arrived at the venue. The mood was at times tense that Golden Boy Promotions’ Richard Schaefer asked the crowd several times to quiet down, to no avail.

Vic Ortiz was the first to be introduced after a lengthy video on the promotion was shown and with a rock star dapper, walked his way onto the stage and shook hands with some media. Soon thereafter, the fans stood and called on Mayweather’s name.

With some bodyguards on his side, Floyd made his entrance and with a bravura of a champion, walked onto the front stage and seemed like someone not affected by a litany of legal suits against him. Sure, Ortiz may provide the “Power” but the Las Vegas resident provided the “Star” element of the promotion.

While Ortiz was glad at the opportunity afforded him by Mayweather for a fight-of-a-lifetime shot, the Mexican-American and Kansas native reminded everyone of a date: July 7, 1985. Everyone started wondering about the significance of the date and Ortiz uttered “There will be a repetition on September 17. That was the fight between Roger Mayweather and Julio Cesar Chavez!” before going straight to his seat to a deafening applause, and of course the “boos” from the Mayweather fans. (Writer’s Note: On that fight, Mayweather got the nod of the judges on the opening round before Chavez knocked him down twice in the next round and eventually won by TKO.)

When Floyd was introduced by his long-time adviser Leonard Ellerbe, he took the podium and started by saying “First off, I thank God for giving me all I got and HBO for a great relationship from the beginning. I thank Victor Ortiz for stepping up to the plate and for taking the test. It’s not easy to bounce back from a crucial loss in the beginning of his career and I take my hat off to him.”

“I want to thank Fight Hype for putting out my story like I give it to them. I like fans, especially those watching live, to know that I do not duck nor dodge anyone!”

“When I mean fans, that goes to the Pacquiao fans too. Do I want a Pacquiao fight?Absolutely!” This statement alone elicited cheers from the crowd for several seconds.

“But it will take one step at a time. I can’t overlook Victor Ortiz. He is tough and he earned the right.”

“To the media, everybody’s entitled to your opinion but you see, I already have kids reading stuff on computer and they see negative things some of you write just because you can’t write stories about me?It’s not right making up stories just so you could write. Like the Pacquiao situation. No, it’s not just Pacquiao. It’s the sport, period. I never one said Manny Pacquiao was cheating! Only thing I said is this, “Me and any other opponent I face must take the test. Not just for boxing but for the sport itself. I ask the HBO, you guys could, or could have, made the fight happen, must step up and say “Both of you guys take the test and let’s make it happen!”

“My focus now, however, is on Victor Ortiz and you must watch 24/7. This series will be amazing.”

After the presser, I asked Ortiz during a table discussion (for writers only) if he had carefully thought about defending his new WBC belt against the great Mayweather. To my surprise, his reply was “You know what, right after the Andre Berto fight, they approached me and made a verbal offer right there and then I said “Yes!”

I countered “Mayweather for your first defense?”, to which Ortiz graciously responded “Anything’s possible, man. And there’s a rematch clause if I beat him!”

As an observer, this match up will feature a youthful, courageous, reigning and defending champion against a guy who has accumulated a lot of ring experience for the last 16 years and generally regarded as the rival of Manny Pacquiao for the mythical “Pound-for pound # 1” title.

This is a start of a journey which everyone obviously wants to see down the road, an inevitable Mayweather-Pacquiao face-off in 2012.

Source: philboxing.com

Mayweather-Oritz Official Presser on Wednesday in Los Angeles!

Mayweather vs Ortiz will hold a special event and evening press conference Wednesday, June 29 in Los Angeles to officially announce their WBC Welterweight World Championship fight taking place September 17.

This event, which takes at Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill at L.A. Live on the Patio, at Nokia Plaza, 777 Chick Hearn Court in Los Angeles, CA, is open to the public. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, prior to the 8PM press conference start time.

Mayweather vs. Ortiz will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Mayweather, who is returning to the ring after a 16-month hiatus, will face the hard-hitting young champion Victor Ortiz on Mexican Independence Day weekend in what will be one of the biggest nights of boxing in 2011.

Mayweather vs. Ortiz is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The 12-round welterweight mega-fight will take place Saturday, September 17 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View. Additional fight details to be announced shortly.

Mayweather in trouble again with new lawsuits!

Anthony Cliff alleges in the suit that the bodyguards beat him after Mayweather gave the "thumbs down" sign when Cliff asked a question about the much-anticipated showdown with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Cliff says he first spotted the boxer inside the Palms Resort Casino in March last year and tried to take his photo but was rebuffed by a bodyguard.

Cliff then ran into Mayweather, who is 41-0 in his career, again outside and asked about a potential mega fight with Pacquiao.

According to Cliff, Mayweather called him "disrespectful" and then gave his bodyguards the "thumbs down" signal which is the green light for them to attack.

Pacquiao and Mayweather have come close to reaching a deal for one of the most lucrative fights in boxing history but negotiations so far have hit a snag.



The latest suit adds to the list of Mayweather's court woes.

He failed to turn up for a court-ordered deposition in Las Vegas earlier this month in a federal lawsuit alleging he defamed Pacquiao. Mayweather also faces charges from a domestic dispute.

Mayweather is scheduled to be in Los Angeles this week for a news conference promoting his September 17 comeback fight against Victor Ortiz.

Source: foxsports.com.au

Mayweather-Ortiz Will Be Most Promoted in Boxing - Schaefer

By Lem Satterfield

Forgive Golden Boy Promotions' CEO Richard Schaefer if he sounds out of breath, for he's been an extremely busy man.

Not only are the fighters in his company winning at an alarming rate, but Schaefer has been landing one big deal after another, and, it seems, traveling from one side of the country or even out of the country for big match ups.

On Tuesday, Schaefor announced "Star Power," the promotional name bestowed upon the Sept. 17 return to the ring of 34-year-old six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) against 24-year-old WBC welterweight king Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs).

"We just finalized [on Wednesday] the HBO deal for Mayweather vs Ortiz, " said Schaefer, referring to story initially reported by ESPN that Golden Boy had reached an agreement with HBO pay per view network to broadcast Mayweather-Ortiz.

"I'm very happy with what we ended up with. HBO and Time Warner are going to put all of their different platforms and packages into play," said Schaefer. "It's going to be without a doubt the most heavily promoted event of all time. There is no question in my mind."

Schaefer said that the promotion will include features from HBO's parent company Time Warner, as well as assets from Turner Broadcasting and Time Magazine. Time Warner also governs online publications such as Sports Illustrated, People and Entertainment Weekly.

"In the coming weeks, there are going to be a lot of these promotional elements in play that are going to be announced," said Schaefer. "The promotion is going to be running from pretty much now until the night of the fight."

HBO's 24/7 series previews every pay per view fight, and will do the same for Mayweather-Ortiz through a wider range of exposure on the Turner's various networks, Schaefer said.

"You're going to have announcements of different promotional tools being used, many of them new to the sport of boxing," said Schaefer. "It's going to be interesting for fight fans, sports fans and the general public to really be part of that experience going into the fight."

The Mayweather-Ortiz touring festivities begin on Tuesday in New York, with an almost unheard of next-day stop in Los Angeles.

"I'm very, very busy and I'm going to be on tour in New York on Tuesday. We're all flying in on Sunday, and we have a lot of promotional activities on Monday. On Tuesday, we're going to do the press conference and fly back to Los Angeles on Tuesday night," said Schaefer.

"And then, on Wednesday, we'll have other promotional things lined up. On this Wednesday night, I think we will have one of the most exciting press conference we've ever had outdoors at LA Live," said Schaefer. "And then the following week, I'm going to be in England for David Haye versus Wladimir Klitschko. That means that I'm going to be gone for a week and a half."

The action follows what already has been a big year for Golden Boy Promotions, starting in March.

That's when Golden Boy's 20-year-old WBC junior middleweight belt-holder Saul Alvarez (37-0-1, 26 KOs) earned his crown with a unanimous decision over England's Matthew Hatton (41-5-2, 16 KOs).

In April, Ortiz rose from two knockdowns and scored two of his own during a unanimous decision that dethroned previously unbeaten WBC king Andre Berto (27-1, 21KOs).

In May, 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) became the oldest fighter in the history of the sport to win a significant world title, dethroning Canada's 28-year-old Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) as WBC light heavyweight champion.

Hopkins-Pascal was a rematch of December's controversial majority draw when the former undisputed middleweight titlist from Philadelphia had appeared to have out-boxed Pascal for the victory despite having been twice floored during the bout.

Alvarez returned for a June 18 clash to dominate his 12th-round knockout in a mandatory defense of his crown against England's 34-year-old Ryan Rhodes (45-5, 31 KOs), whom he dropped in the fourth round.

On the Alvarez-Rhodes undercard, Golden Boy's 21-year-old super featherweight sensation Adrien Broner (21-0) scored his 17th knockout, ending with a first-round stoppage that dethroned 27-year-old NABF king Jason Litzau (28-3, 21 KOs).

On June 25, there is a non-title, junior welterweight match up between Golden Boy's 28-year-old Argentinian Lucas Matthysse (28-1, 26 KOs) against southpaw former WBC titlist Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) of promoter Don King.

Golden Boy also handles the American affairs of 30-year-old WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KOs), who on July 2 will pursue his 16th straight victory and his 14th knockout during that run against 34-year-old WBO, IBF and IBO counterpart Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) in an attempt to end a 13-fight winning streak that includes 10 knockouts.

"Another big one is Lucas Matthysse, and then we have David Haye in Germany," said Schaefer. "I'm happy with the way things are coming along, and the way that our athletes are performing."

On July 9, Golden Boy Promotions is matching 28-year-old Cuban native Erislandy Lara (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a clash of southpaws opposite 29-year-old former three-time champion Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) on July 9.

On July 23, Golden Boy Promotions is has 24-year-old WBA junior welterweight champions Amir Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) of England going against 33-year-old Bronx native and southpaw IBF titlist Zab Judah (41-6, 28KOs) of Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

"The Khan-Judah fight is yet another big, major fight," said Schaefer.

On August 27, Golden Boy has 27-year-old WBA interim junior welterweight king Marcos Rene Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) of Argentina against 28-year-old southpaw WBO and WBA interim lightweight king Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs), who has 13 straight wins, nine of them stoppages, and is attempting to win his sixth belt in a fourth weight class.

Then on Sept. 17, there is Mayweather-Ortiz, a deal that was struck in the wake of a settlement between Golden Boy Promotions and southpaw eight-division and WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 knockouts) of a lawsuit that could pave the way for a smoothed over working relationship between Golden Boy and Pacquiao's Top Rank Promotions' CEO Bob Arum.

"Adrien Broner looked sensational and Alvarez looked sensational. All of our athletes are doing fantastic, and we're very proud of them. Whenever you have athletes performing at that level, then you want to make sure that you can continue to keep them busy," said Schaefer.

"You want to move them forward and to continue to give them the kind of opportunities. You see these young kids advance, and that's huge part of it," said Schaefer. "You want to continue to give them the opportunities, and that's why I am so busy with ensuring that we get the necessary television dates and exposure."

Schaefer had said that if Alvarez, slated to return on Sept. 17, defeated Rhodes, he could potentially land on a pay-per-view undercard to Mayweather-Ortiz and, perhaps, face the Mayweather-Ortiz winner.

But Arum recently told ESPN.com that he would scrap plans for his 25-year-old Mexican WBC middleweight king Julio Cesar Chavez (43-0-1, 30 KOs) if it mean an opportunity to face Alvarez perhaps at a catchweight of 158 pounds that would allow Alvarez to keep his belt.

Although Schaefer said that he is willing to entertain Chavez-Alvarez, and, even Pacquiao-Alvarez, his schedule simply does not permit him to devote much thought to it.

"The fact is that we want to do that fight [Chavez-Alvarez,] and Canelo is scheduled to fight on Sept. 17," said Schaefer. "So I don't have time to get into these back-and-forths about it right now. I'm toos busy now with all my other fights, so I can't go and engage now in these other things."

Source: boxingscene.com

HBO PPV To Distribute September Mayweather Fight

HBO will distribute the Sept. 17 return to the boxing ring of undefeated fighter and mega pay-per-view draw Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather, who has not fought since May 2010, will fight World Boxing Council welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, according to HBO officials. It's the first marquee PPV boxing event for HBO, although the network did distribute an April 9 Erik Morales-Marco Maidana PPV event.

Showtime PPV has distributed the two biggest PPV events of the year, including the March 12 Miguel Cotto- -Ricardo Mayorga fight and the May 7 Manny Pacquiao-Sugar Shane Mosley fight. The Pacquio-Mosley event drew more than 1.3 million PPV buys.

"The return of Floyd Mayweather is big news for the sport of boxing," said Mark Taffet, senior vice president of HBO Pay-Per-View. "September 17 is a terrific event for the industry."

Mayweather, along with Pacquiao, have been the biggest PPV draws in the sport over the past three years. Mayweather's last fight, a May 2010 bout against Mosley, drew 1.4 million PPV buys.

The site for the fight has not been set, according to HBO. Press conferences to announce the fight will be held June 28 in New York and June 29 in Los Angeles, said network officials.

Source: multichannel.com

Two-City Media Tour Announced For Mayweather vs Ortiz

Mayweather's handlers announced plans Friday for a two-city media tour to promote Mayweather's Sept. 17 pay-per-view fight against welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz.

They will kick off at noon ET Tuesday at the Hudson Theater in New York City's Times Square followed by a second tour stop at 11 p.m. ET Wednesday at Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Both events are open and free to the public.

The venue and pay-per-view network carrying the fight have not yet been announced.

Source: espn.go.com

Is Ortiz a simple tune up for Floyd?

By Joseph Herron: The sport of boxing is always better off when the best fighters take on the most worthy opposition available…especially when one of these match-ups includes Floyd Mayweather.

Since Floyd publicly announced his fight with Vicious Victor Ortiz, there has been quite a bit of debate as to whether or not the Garden City, Kansas native is indeed a worthy opponent.

The Vicious one is coming off of his most impressive performance to date and is the current WBC Welterweight Champion. As a result, the 24 year old fighter is as confident as any in boxing and truly believes that he can win a scrap with Mayweather.

His fight with Andre Berto not only showed us that Victor indeed has heart and mental toughness, but it also proved what his handlers felt all along; that Ortiz belonged in the welterweight division.

Although Ortiz has a great knock-out ratio and has hurt every opponent he has faced, even in loss, most boxing pundits have dismissed him as a simple tune-up for an eventual super-bout with universally recognized pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao.

Is a fight with Victor Ortiz simply a tune-up for Floyd, or is this a more dangerous fight than most realize?

Although a fight of this caliber may be a tad premature for the young Hispanic fighter, Ortiz is very confident and matches up well against a defensive counter puncher who fights out of the orthodox stance.

Any fighter who traditionally fights with the Michigan defensive style of rolling the shoulders usually has stylistic problems against a southpaw, due to the fact that the defensive fighter rolls away from his opponent’s offensive punches. When fighting a left handed opponent, the defensive counter-puncher usually finds himself rolling into the backhand of a southpaw fighter.

For a fighter like Mayweather who usually doesn’t watch fight tape to prepare, this could present some problems early in the fight, as was displayed in May’s fight with Zab Judah.

Also, for a defensive fighter, an effective aggressor will always make life uncomfortable in the ring. A fighter who depends on creating distance like Floyd doesn’t prefer to be pushed against the ropes, especially against a bigger and stronger fighter, as was displayed in May’s fight with Jose Luis Castillo.

Ortiz is also a legitimate puncher. Floyd hasn’t fought a fighter with this kind of offensive prowess since Diego Corrales back in 2001. Although he took Chico to school, Mayweather was 24 at the time and not 34. He also wasn’t coming off of a considerably long period of inactivity.

Even though PBF has never shown the ill effects of his age or inactivity, when analyzing the match-up with Ortiz, these variables have to be taken into consideration.

Although Ortiz answered his detractors with an impressive victory over former undefeated champion Andre Berto, he still has a lot to prove to most boxing pundits.

Victor still hasn’t convinced his naysayers that he can perform against a fighter with an equally iron will. There are lingering critics who still aren’t convinced that the Victor Ortiz who crumbled mentally against tough Argentine Marcos Maidana has left the building.

What is also alarming is the amount of punishment Ortiz took when facing a wide punching opponent like Maidana.

If the brick handed junior welterweight can land a high percentage of shots against the young Kansas fighter, Mayweather will have tee time for 12 rounds, right? Perhaps.

Maidana had the Vicious one on his heels for a good portion of the fight, and although Mayweather has deceptive power, it’s not a given that he possesses the kind of power that will keep Ortiz honest for 12 rounds.

There are a considerable amount of “what ifs” concerning this match-up, but one thing is certain, if this fight indeed is fulfilled, Floyd Mayweather will deserve a lot more respect than most are willing to give him.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Khan backs Mayweather over Ortiz, Wants To Fight The Winner

Khan wants the winner of Mayweather vs Ortiz.

WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan sees a Floyd Mayweather victory in September when the five-weight world title holder challenges Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight championship. Khan, 24, is tied to a unification bout with July 23rd against IBF champion Zab Judah, after which, the Bolton fighter is eyeing a move up to 147lbs.

The former Olympic silver medallist is then hoping to gain a shot at WBN pound for pound number three Mayweather before his stablemate and WBO welterweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao does, as he looks to emulate his training partner by moving up through the weights and winning world titles.

“For sure, I’d love to fight the winner,” Khan explained to Boxing News.

“Victor has just had a great win against Andre Berto who has quite a similar style to Mayweather, you know, quick hands.

“But Ortiz just walked through him. I think Ortiz has a lot of power at 147lbs and will cause problems for Mayweather.

“But Mayweather is just too classy with the experience, the speed and the eye he has in a fight.

“I think it will be quite difficult for Ortiz to get to him,” added Khan.

‘King’ Khan is himself facing a tough task as he attempts to rip away newly-crowned IBF belt holder Zab Judah’s title in Las Vegas next month, but an impressive win by Khan, would put him right up there with the world’s best and with plenty of options at 140lb or 147lbs to choose from.

Source: worldboxingnews.net

Ortiz hits pay dirt with fight against Mayweather

Elite fighters often encounter their “aged-in-one-fight” moment. A fighter’s seemingly invincible reputation is shattered with one subpar performance, and the result is an onset of declining skills.

The inverse scenario is the young fighter eager for a break-out opportunity. Victor Ortiz had his “coming-of-age” match with his hard-fought victory over Miami native Andre Berto on April 16.

Not only was he involved in one in one of the best fights of the year, but also Ortiz won a sanctioning-body welterweight title, ending Berto’s reign after five fights.

And the reward for Ortiz’s performance just got sweeter. Ortiz, 24, will cross the threshold into pay-per-view matches after last week’s announcement that he will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.

The fight, for Ortiz’s World Boxing Council welterweight crown, will be Mayweather’s first since his lopsided decision over in May 2010.

“I’m a strong fighter, and I have worked really hard to silence my critics,” Ortiz said in a statement. “I’m a world champion for a reason, and I am not going to let go of my title any time soon.”

Ortiz hit an early career setback with his sixth-round technical knockout loss to junior-welterweight contender Marcos Maidana in June 2009. The critics surfaced when they considered Ortiz indifferent when he reflected on his performance against Maidana during a postfight interview.

Ortiz overcame the loss to Maidana with four consecutive wins in 2009 and 2010. Two of Ortiz’s victories were over former world champions Nate Campbell and Vivian Harris.

Although a draw against Lamont Peterson in December might have set him back in the title-fight chase, Ortiz nonetheless earned a shot against Berto and more than capitalized on his opportunity.

The fight public continues to clamor for a Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao bout. But with two failed attempts at making the fight, Mayweather and Pacquiao have used their pay-per-view dates on opponents such as Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.

Now it is Ortiz’s turn. Thanks to his victory over Berto, Ortiz has cashed a significant chip that involves him in the marquee matchup with Mayweather.

Hall of Fame

The International Boxing Hall of Fame welcomed one of its most high-profile classes in years with Sunday’s induction of former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, three-division world champion Julio Cesar Chavez and junior-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu.

Tyson’s knockout power made him the sport’s youngest heavyweight world champion with his two-round flattening of Trevor Berbick in 1986.

His continued dominance through the late 1980s, and his combustive personality later in his career made Tyson one of the most recognizable athletes of the past 25 years.

Chavez now is considered as arguably the best fighter born in Mexico. His 115-fight career was highlighted by world titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight divisions.

Russia-born Tszyu became the first fighter from the former Soviet bloc of Eastern European nations to reach professional boxing superstardom. Tszyu enjoyed a five-year run as junior-welterweight champion in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Tyson, Chavez and Tszyu were inducted in their first years of eligibility.

Other inductees in the 2011 class include trainer Ignacio Beristain, referee Joe Cortez and actor-screenwriter Sylvester Stallone, whose six Rocky movies the past 35 years have kept boxing a popular sports theme in film.

Obituary

Genaro Hernandez, a two-time super-featherweight world champion in the 1990s, died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a two-year battle with cancer. Hernandez was 45.

Recognized as one of boxing’s good guys, Hernandez retired in 1998 after losing his title against Mayweather. Hernandez, who finished his career with a 38-2-1 record and 17 knockouts, worked as a TV analyst and for promoter Bob Arum after he retired as a fighter.

Source: miamiherald.com

Roger Mayweather: “It would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz!”

by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview with Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Last week’s 128th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with boxing trainer Roger Mayweather who is best known for training his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Junior (41-0, 25 KOs). Roger discussed the upcoming September 17 bout between his nephew and WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) and also touched on various other topics, including Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, and more! Here is what he had to say:

His views on Floyd Mayweather Junior’s upcoming September 17 matchup against Victor Ortiz:

“My nephew can fight pretty much anybody out there and go in and beat them. My nephew’s got too much skill for these mother f*ckers! That’s why they can’t win. Boxing is about what you learn. Boxing ain’t about because you throw punches. You got to throw the punches in the right place at the right time. Anybody can lucky, but as far as skill-wise there ain’t nobody out there who can match him, period! Remember, my nephew has more skills than Sugar Ray Leonard, too.”

His views on Victor Ortiz as an opponent for his nephew:

“Ah, he’s an opponent just like all the rest of them. De La Hoya was an opponent. Shane Mosley was an opponent. That’s what he is. He’s an opponent, too.”

On whether he played part in the decision making process to choose Ortiz as Floyd’s next opponent:

“Listen, I don’t debate as to who my nephew will fight and who he won’t fight because number one, my nephew has pretty much fought all the best fighters out there. Pretty much as far as in his weight division, he fought the best fighters out there, anyway! If you talk about Ricky Hatton, he already beat Ricky Hatton. If you talk about Shane Mosley, he already beat Shane Mosley. If you talk about Marquez, he already, so any guy you talk about that, that was still fighting and was good, my nephew already beat him. So this is another challenge. That’s all. You just prepare differently for the guy that you’re fighting because all guys have a little difference in styles.”

Regarding the differences in training techniques to prepare Floyd for a southpaw:

“It’s easy! I can train any fighter so it doesn’t matter. I just trained a southpaw fighter that’s going to fight a minute ago. The number one contender I train is a southpaw. That’s Said Ouali. So training a southpaw ain’t nothing, so fighting a southpaw ain’t nothing.”

On how soon he expects to be in camp to train Floyd for Victor Ortiz:

“You ain’t have to worry about it this early because we’re a ways from the fight. You can’t be four or five months out talking about training for a fighter. It don’t take that long to get prepared for a fighter. So you start talking about fighting about two months. It don’t take no more than that to prepare for a fighter, otherwise if you do more than that you over train, anyway.”

On whether he believes Victor Ortiz is a more talented fighter than Manny Pacquiao:

“I think the guy’s got better talent. This guy Victor Ortiz has better talent than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t nothing but wild, anyway! Pacquiao ain’t got no skills, period! That ain’t why he’s winning. That ain’t why he’s winning! He ain’t winning on no skills, that’s for sure.”

On the fact Victor Ortiz has agreed to take the drug test for this particular fight:

“Well that’s the thing. Like I said, this guy is more skilled than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t skilled! Pacquiao’s just wild. He ain’t no skilled fighter. He ain’t got no head movement either, Pacquiao. They’re going to see how much skills he has.”

His views on Pacquiao’s last victory against Shane Mosley:

“Well like I said, he could get away with that with other fighter because, number one Mosley wanted the money. That’s why he couldn’t force him to take the test. He couldn’t force Pacquiao to take the test, but if he fights my nephew he’s going to take the test. Then you will find out what he really can do. There ain’t no way in the world a guy that’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat up someone like Shane Mosley at 157 pounds. There ain’t no way. The only reason why he does win with all of those guys, anybody can tell you what he does because he wouldn’t fight my nephew the first time. He wouldn’t even take the test. ‘Oh I can’t take a test! I got to take the test four days before the fight’. That already tells you. You got to take a test four days before the fight? Why? You take a test the day before the fight. That’s generally when you take a test, blood test, HIV test, all of that. You take that a day or two days before the fight. He said oh I can’t take it, I got to take it four days before the fight. That’s why the fight never happened. Hopefully it happens and when it happens everybody is going to say the same thing that they were going to say already. Floyd had too much skill for his mother f*cking ass, and if he ain’t got that sh*t in him he’s going to get knocked out! He ain’t going to get whooped, he’s going to get knocked out because he can’t fight anyway! Pacquiao can’t fight! All that wild sh*t he’s doing, he can’t fight! He does that because he’s got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it. How a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds going to beat a guy at 150 pounds? Ain’t nobody no f*cking fool! And remember, when he was fighting at 105 pounds, do you think those guys at 105 pounds are better than the guys he’s fighting now—De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton—at a higher God damned weight? If you believe that something has got to be wrong with you!”

Regarding speculation that Floyd will face Pacquiao next since Ortiz is a southpaw volume puncher like Pacquiao:

“Hey, you know what? To be the best you don’t debate as pretty much who you’re going to fight. You’re getting paid to fight so that’s what it’s about. You’re getting paid to fight. Right? Okay, then. So if you getting paid enough money to fight then you’re going to fight the guy that they’re going to put you in the ring with. It would be no different with Pacquiao or any other fighter. So I don’t know if they’re talking about preparing for Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t no big issue, anyway. Pacquiao is a big issue to the public. He ain’t no big issue in boxing to me, because I know how he fights with all that wild ass sh*t he throws. All Pacquiao’s got to do is take that Olympic style test and Pacquiao’s going to get his ass knocked out, too. I’m going to tell you this before it ever happens. When he gets his ass whooped you know what you’re going to say to me? ‘Oh Mayweather! I didn’t think your nephew would do this to Pacquiao!’ Why? He’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds anyway, and the only reason he can ever compete against a guy at this kind of weight is because he got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it! Otherwise there ain’t no way in the world a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat a guy at 150 pounds, not a guy with skills he ain’t!”

His views on Bernard Hopkins’ historic victory when he became the oldest man to win a major championship at age 46 against Jean Pascal:

“Oh he fought a good fight! The first fight was very close. I mean that fight could have gone either way that first fight. But this fight that he fought, he fought an amazing fight for a guy his age. But you got to understand, fighters get more conditioning today than they did back then. They got more things to get themselves in condition. Fighters got more things to do to get themselves in better condition than they did back in the early days. In the early days they didn’t have all this stuff that they have now, but Hopkins fought a great fight. I can’t say nothing about it. He fought a great fight. If the fighters back then had the same things they have in these days and times they would do the same thing, the good ones would. The ones that are good would do it. I’m not saying any fighter but fighters who had great ability would be able to do it. Remember, the fighters back then fought way more than the fighters fight now. Back then they had 100 and something fights, or damn near 200 fights. These days today they barely have 50 or 60 fights. You see? That’s the difference.”

His views on his Floyd Junior’s long layoffs and at what point he thinks these layoffs will begin having a negative impact on his nephew’s performances:

“They will affect him. You can’t keep taking layoffs with guys that are active. You can’t keep doing it. That’s what gets fighters beat, and you can’t say oh he beat me because of this or he beat me because of that. The bottom line is layoffs hurt fighters. If you’re going to be a fighter you have to be actively fighting. If you’re going to make this your career and you’re going to be a fighter, then you have to be actively fighting. I mean that’s your job. If you want to commit to your job you have to stay on point. That means you have to be training, you have to be preparing, and you have to stay in that gym because the gym is what makes you money.”

Regarding the last time he saw Floyd training in the gym:

“Floyd ain’t been in the gym. He ain’t been in the gym. He’ll get in the gym but he ain’t been in the gym. I mean he’s going to train and get ready for the fight, he ain’t gonna slack from that but the whole thing of it is, no matter how much of a great fighter he is, when you keep taking time off, and taking time off, and you ain’t going to the gym, it diminishes your skills. That was just the boxing. It ain’t just diminishing Floyd’s skills. It would diminish any other fighter’s skills. You have seen when Ray Leonard came back and beat Marvin Hagler, right? Then he came back after another long layoff and he came back and Camacho whipped his ass. He came back and Terry Norris whipped his ass. What’s that tell you? That diminishes skills. You cannot keep taking layoffs, and layoffs, and layoffs, and think your skills are going to be the same. It ain’t going to happen.”

On whether he believes Floyd would be ready to fight Pacquiao in his next fight if he beats Victor Ortiz:

“Well I wouldn’t think he would fight Pacquiao right after fighting Victor Ortiz. I mean it would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz! Floyd needs fights. He needs to be active. Don’t get me wrong, Floyd is the greatest fighter out there, period. Right now in today’s boxing Floyd is the greatest fighter out there. But at the same time I don’t think that Floyd can do this. Floyd needs tune-ups like anybody else. It ain’t no different than any other fighter if you are going to compete with a guy who has been active all the time.”

On whether he believes Floyd would need more tune-ups after Ortiz before being ready to face Pacquiao:

“He’ll need more. It ain’t so much for Pacquiao, anyway. It’s more tune-ups to perform up to his level of performance. It ain’t so much Pacquiao as do you want to perform up to your expectations. You have to be active to do that. When you ain’t active you can’t do that. Just like what I told you about Sugar Ray Leonard. Yeah he got up for the fight for Marvin Hagler. That was the biggest fight that was out there. But what happened after that? What I’m saying is he prepared for Marvin Hagler because that was the biggest fight for him out there so he prepared for it. Remember, he fought a guy way smaller than Marvin Hagler and he got stopped. The thing of it is when you ain’t actually fighting, he looked at Camacho’s size and said this is going to be an easy fight. You know why I know that? You know why I know how he prepared for Camacho? Because he asked me! Before they ever fought he said you boxed Camacho didn’t you? I said, yeah. He said how was he? I said he wasn’t sh*t to me. I handled him easy. We never fought in the real ring because he already knew what time it was. I used to bake that ass every day. Boom! He asked me right before that fight. I ain’t had no problems with all of that but boom! But I guess he thought he would just maybe walk in there without training. That’s where he was at.”

On whether he saw Victor Ortiz’s most recent victory against Andre Berto::

“Yeah I’ve seen it. They both got dropped. I’ve seen that fight. I generally don’t watch boxing today but I just happened to come home, turned the TV on, and I had seen boxing on. I watched the last fight.”

On whether he saw any weaknesses in Ortiz’s game that he believes Floyd can exploit in the ring:

“Well I don’t know what weaknesses he has, but whatever weaknesses he has my nephew will exploit, anyway! He’s way more skilled than Andre Berto, so it don’t matter what skills he got. Whatever skills he’s got and whatever he lacks in skills he’s going to find out on that night. Remember, like I’m telling you, my nephew really ain’t an active fighter. In these days and times he’s not really an active fighter. In order to bring the best out of Floyd he has to be active. Being active makes you sharper. Being active keeps your skills up, but he’s got enough time to prepare for the guy and he’s going to his best. He may not have his best performance, but I think he’ll have enough skills to win.”

His views on the upcoming junior welterweight unification bout between Amir Khan and Zab Judah:

“Amir Khan would have gotten knocked out by Floyd, period. I know Amir Khan. He’s been in the gym before. He would have gotten knocked out by Floyd. His head is straight up and he can’t take no punch, anyway. He’s going to have problems trouble with Zab. It’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a tough fight but I favor Zab more than I favor him. It’s going to be a tough fight but I look for Zab to win. Zab fought the better fighters of the two, anyway. Zab knocked out Corey Spinks and Zab he fought the better quality fighters. So I look more for Zab to win, and based on experience. Experience plays a difference in title fights and skill-wise, that’s why I lean towards Zab.”

Regarding how he sees the September 17 fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Victor Ortiz playing out:

“It’s always skills that pay the bills. He’s the most skilled fighter out there. Skills pay the bills and like I said Floyd is the most skilled fighter out there in the world of boxing. So all Floyd has got to do is prepare and do the work that he does. He’s going to be a little diminished because he’s been laid off from boxing for a little bit, but he’s still got enough skills to overcome the other fighter. He’ll be alright once he gets the rust off him.”

On what he has to say to all the fans out there who believe that Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in boxing today:

“Well if they say Pacquiao’s the best fighter, that tells you the people that don’t know sh*t about boxing. How is he the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? Does that make him the best fighter? Get them to answer that question. Tell the people who say he’s the best fighter that he’s been knocked out twice. So how can he be the best fighter? Floyd never lost, period. So how can he be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? But he’s the best fighter? I ain’t never seen a guy be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice. So the next time they ask you that, then you say how can he be. That’s all you have to say. How can he be? He’s been knocked out twice.”

eastsideboxing.com

Ortiz not tune-up for Pacquiao - Richard Schaefer

MANILA, Philippines – Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) executive Richard Schaefer belied reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is using Victor Ortiz as a tune-up match for Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

"If you want to prepare for Manny, of all people, you would not fight against Victor Ortiz," Schaefer said in Boxingscene.com

Schaefer, GBP chief executive officer, said Mayweather is in for a tough fight against the left-handed Ortiz.

"It would be [a bad decision] to choose someone so difficult, so physical, so strong, and so young as Victor, in order to prepare for a fight with Pacquiao," he said.

GBP promotes both Mayweather and Ortiz.

Mayweather had announced that he will have a September 17 fight against Ortiz, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion.

The move was seen by many as Mayweather’s preparation for a possible showdown against Pacquiao in 2012.

"Of course, that's the first thing I thought," Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach told the Associated Press.

The esteemed trainer thinks Mayweather wants to get used to fighting left-handed boxers because Pacquiao is a southpaw.

"Some lefties have given him trouble. [Zab] Judah gave him problems but he couldn't keep up the pace.

Fighters like Victor Ortiz and Manny Pacquiao can maintain their pace," he added.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Floyd Mayweather ends hiatus to fight Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17

Undefeated Floyd Mayweather will end a 16-month hiatus from boxing to fight WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17, the Las Vegas-based fighter announced on Twitter Tuesday.

A site for the fight has not yet been announced.
Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), who has been criticized for not accepting a mega-fight with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, said Ortiz was the best opponent for him right now.
"I am ready to return to the ring and give my fans a fantastic night of boxing by fighting the best out there and for me, that is Victor Ortiz," said Mayweather, 34. "He is the current champion and an extremely talented fighter who showed amazing skills, and heart, in his last performance against Andre Berto.

"At this stage of my career, these are the challenges I look for — a young, strong, rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me. Like the rest of my opponents, he is going to try to prove that he can beat me. I commend him for accepting the fight, but on Sept. 17, Ortiz is just going to be another casualty, the 42nd one who tried and failed. Trust me, I will be ready."

Mayweather's last fight was a lopsided unanimous decision victory against Shane Mosley on May 1, 2010. Mosley appeared to hurt Mayweather in the second round, but Mayweather weathered the storm and put a beating on Mosley, whose career may be over after losing badly to Pacquiao on May 7.
Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) is unbeaten in his last six fights, including a unanimous decision victory against previously unbeaten Berto on April 16 in a fight of the year candidate. It was Ortiz's first fight at welterweight (147 pounds) after spending most of his career at junior welterweight (140 pounds).

"I respect Mayweather because he has been a champion for many years and I know he will be ready, but so will I," said Ortiz, a decade younger than Mayweather at 24. "I'm a strong fighter and I have worked really hard to silence my critics. I'm a world champion for a reason and I am not going to let go of my title any time soon. This is going to be a great fight, but I will remain a world champion for many years to come."
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's manager and CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said it was exciting to see his fighter get back in the ring.

"There is no better showman than Floyd and he backs up his legacy with amazing, one-of-a-kind skills," Ellerbe said. "Victor Ortiz has shown us that he is a great fighter, too, and for the two of them to meet makes for a gigantic night for fans all over the world."
Ortiz's promoter, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, said Mayweather sets the bar for pay-per-view buys — his 2007 victory against Oscar De La Hoya set the record with 2.4 million buys.

"In Victor Ortiz, he is facing a young, strong and highly motivated world champion who knows that a win over the pound for pound champion will catapult him into superstardom." Schaefer said. "The stage is set and I can't wait for the showdown of the year."

Mayweather still has two criminal cases hanging over his head: a misdemeanor charge for allegedly attacking a security guard at his Las Vegas gated community, and a multiple felony misdemeanor case involving an alleged domestic violence incident brought by the mother of his two children last September.

His next court appearance is not scheduled until Oct. 20.

Source: usatoday.com

Roach: Mayweather could be preparing for Pacquiao

NEW YORK -- Freddie Roach believes that Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be preparing for a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao by returning to the ring in September.

The trainer of the Filipino sensation told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Wednesday that he thinks Mayweather has agreed to fight young welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz because his style would help get him ready for a fight against Pacquiao.

"Of course, that's the first thing that came to my mind," Roach said.

Ortiz and Pacquiao are both fast, high-volume punchers who tend to press the action. They are also southpaws, and Mayweather - who will be ending a 16-month layoff when he steps into the ring Sept. 17 - has rarely fought left-handed opponents during his undefeated career.

The few he has fought, Zab Judah to name one, have cause him some problems.

"I'm just figuring he'll give us a good blueprint to fight him, how Floyd handles fighting a southpaw," Roach said of Ortiz, who won the WBC 147-pound title with a narrow unanimous decision over Andre Berto in April, a certain candidate for Fight of the Year.

"Some left-handers have given him trouble," Roach said. "Judah gave him trouble but couldn't maintain the pace. Guys like Victor Ortiz, Manny Pacquiao, they can maintain that pace. And I do think the southpaw stance gives him trouble."

Pacquiao is scheduled to face Juan Manuel Marquez in November in the third fight of their epic series, after routing Shane Mosley last month. Mayweather easily beat Marquez in September 2009 before soundly beating Mosley in his most recent fight.

Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, who handles Ortiz and has worked with Mayweather in the past, laughed off the suggestion that "Money Mayweather" could be getting ready to face Pacquiao by accepting a fight against someone as young and hungry as his fighter.

"If you want to get ready for Manny, of all people, you're not going to fight Victor Ortiz," Schaefer said. "You would be shooting yourself to pick someone as tough, as physical, as strong, as young as Victor to prepare for Pacquiao."

Pacquiao and Mayweather have come close to reaching a deal for potentially the richest fight in boxing history on multiple occasions, only for it to evaporate.

Mayweather has insisted that he will require random blood testing for any future fight, even though it is not required by any boxing commission. Pacquiao has agreed to the blood tests but the two sides could never agree on a specific protocol.

Ortiz agreed to blood and urine testing laid out by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Pacquiao recently settled a defamation lawsuit against Schaefer and his partner, Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao claimed in the suit that he has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but said that De La Hoya and Schaefer - along with Mayweather, his father and uncle - had embarked on a smear campaign to make people think he used drugs.

Mayweather and his family members weren't involved in the settlement so that case is still pending, which presents yet another obstacle to the megafight ever happening.

In the meantime, Mayweather will start preparing for Ortiz. The former five-division champ has often been criticized for facing opponents who are smaller than him or past their prime, but that won't be the case when he steps into the ring against the WBC titleholder.

"Victor Ortiz is one of the most exciting guys in the sport. He's a tremendous story, great personality, bilingual," Schaefer said. "And it's the comeback of Floyd Mayweather.

"Over the last couple years, he always fought the guys before Pacquiao and he still got criticized," Schaefer said. "Finally, the media and fight fans realize he doesn't duck anyone. Coming back to fight Victor Ortiz shows you what he's made all about."

Source: forbes.com

It’s May day for Victor

FLOYD MAYWEATHER will end his self-imposed exile from the ring by boxing Victor Ortiz on September 17.
Mayweather, 34, has been out of action since picking up a unanimous points decision against Shane Mosley in May 2010.

But Money has confirmed he will lace them up again to challenge Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title.

The unbeaten American said: "I am ready to return to the ring and give my fans a fantastic night of boxing by fighting the best out there.

"For me, that is Victor Ortiz. He is the current champion and an extremely talented fighter who showed amazing skills, and heart, in his last performance against Andre Berto."

Ortiz was knocked down twice when he defended his crown against Berto in Connecticut earlier this year.

He was also deducted a point for hitting around the back of the head but still did enough to come out on top after the fight went the distance.

And Mayweather believes a victory against the 24-year-old will show he still means business.

He added: "At this stage of my career, these are the challenges I look for. Ortiz is a young, strong, rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me.

"Like the rest of my opponents, he is going to try to prove that he can beat me.

"I commend him for accepting the fight but Ortiz is just going to be another casualty — the 42nd boxer who tried and failed. Trust me, I will be ready."


Ortiz is confident he can become the first man to defeat Mayweather and destroy any lingering hopes his challenger has of a money-spinning showdown with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

The southpaw said: "I respect Mayweather because he has been a champion for many years and I know he will be ready, but so will I.

"I'm a strong fighter and I have worked really hard to silence my critics. I'm a world champion for a reason and I am not going to let go of my title any time soon.

"This is going to be a great fight but I will remain a world champion for many years to come."

Mayweather has a love-hate relationship with the American public but the man who defeated Ricky Hatton is hugely popular in the UK.

And the respect he receives on these shores has clearly not gone unnoticed by the man himself.

Mayweather recently tweeted: "My favorite fans in the world are in the UK. I love everyone in the UK. God bless the United Kingdom."


Source: thesun.co.uk

Jerry Jones tried to get fight to Cowboys Stadium

There was something interesting about the news release announcing Floyd Mayweather's return to the boxing ring after a 16-month layoff.

No site.

Mayweather will face WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17. ESPN's Dan Rafael spoke with Ortiz's manager, Rolando Arellano, who told him Las Vegas' MGM Grand most likely will get the fight.

But at the Super Bowl -- played at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6 -- Mayweather was a guest of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who wanted the fighter to see the stadium and consider it as a site for his return fight.

The Cowboys' $1.2 billion home hosted two boxing matches last year with Manny Pacquiao headlining the main event each time.

Jones held prelimnary discussions about a potential fight with Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather. With the NFL lockout ongoing, it seems difficult for Jones to bring any event to his stadium as the schedule could change.

The Cowboys are scheduled to visit San Francisco on Sept. 17, which would be a natural date to hold the fight in Arlington. Mayweather, however, has always said Las Vegas is home to him and he feels comfortable there.

So despite Jones' effort to get Mayweather back in the ring inside Cowboys Stadium, it appears doubtful it'll happen here.

Source: espn.go.com

ORTIZ HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE MAIDANA

Victor Ortiz was considered a disgrace by some after he quit against Marcos Maidana only two years ago. Now he holds a major world title and will earn millions when he fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 17.

Yes, things can change quickly in boxing.

Rolando Arellano, Ortiz’s manager, was ecstatic about the announcement Tuesday morning that the fight would take place and how far his fighter has come in a short time.

“We’re absolutely overwhelmed,” he said from Garden City, Kansas, where Ortiz was due to be honored for his sensational victory over Andre Berto in April that earned him the WBC welterweight title. “We’re honored to have an opportunity to fight such a great champion.

“I think Floyd Mayweather is displaying the utmost courage by taking on one of the most-threatening fighters at 147 pounds.”

Arellano said he never doubted that Ortiz would rise to the top.

“I always saw a hidden jewel that a lot of people didn’t see,” he said. “I can’t blame them. They only had few fights to judge him on. It came to a point in his career, though, that he said, ‘You know what? Enough is enough. I’m going to show the world who I am.’

“He did that against Andre Berto. And bingo! Here we are fighting a pound-for-pound champion.”

Arellano wouldn’t discuss the terms of the fighters’ agreement but allowed that Ortiz was happy to give up the lion’s share of profits to Mayweather.

“Let’s put it this way,” Arellano said. “We didn’t care what gloves they wore. We didn’t care whose name came first [on promotional material]. We didn’t care who walked into the ring first.

“We understand that Floyd Mayweather will be making all the money. We just wanted an opportunity to take over the pound-for-pound kingdom. We have that opportunity.”

And if Ortiz should win?

“We built a platform for Victor to become champion,” Arellano said. “Now we want to build a platform for him to become a brand and carry that for a long time. Mayweather is 34. Oscar [De La Hoya] is gone. [Bernard] Hopkins is incredible but he can’t fight forever.

“We think we’re the next ones. Finally, Victor can truly be the next Oscar De La Hoya in terms of generating revenue.”

Source: ringtv

Key reasons why Victor Ortiz is a dangerous fight for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Last night my colleague Dennis Guillermo reached out to me with some interesting news, informing me that he had just ran a story about a possible Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz clash in the works. Sure enough, upon waking this morning, Mayweather updated his million-plus Twitter followers with the news that the fight will indeed be pushing through for September 17th.

While this isn't the fight people had been clamoring fight, that being a Mayweather showdown with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, the contest is intriguing on many fronts. Ortiz is far from a tune up and is coming off of a career-best unanimous decision over Andre Berto a few months back, a fight that saw him snatch the Haitian-American's WBC crown and one in which he had to dig down deep.

Personally I feel that this is far from a walk in the park for the Las Vegas-based Mayweather. Here are my reasons below...

Nothing to lose

Victor Ortiz is in a great position here. He is set to make by far the biggest payday of his career and with people looking at him as somewhat as a 'tune up' before a hopeful Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, he is in the perfect position to surprise people with an inspiring performance.

Ortiz is also entering the prime of his career at 24 years of age and will surely gear himself up for the fight of his life. He's completely different than Floyd's last two opponents, an aging Shane Mosley and a blown-up Juan Manuel Marquez, and he will come into the ring with something to prove.

Putting the demons to rest

It was June 27th, 2009 that Ortiz's career took a major hit when he suffered the first stoppage defeat of his career at the hands of power-punching Marcos Maidana inside of the Staples Center. In a wild fight that saw each man hit the deck multiple times, Ortiz eventually seemed to wilt under his Argentinean foe's pressure and called it a day in the sixth round, with the tag of 'quitter' being thrown his way.

In the news: Berto's trainer weighs in on the Ortiz PED rumors / Floyd Mayweather Sr. not apologizing to Pacquiao anytime soon / Floyd's Uncle Jeff in Panama with Celestino Caballeo

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His April fight with Berto served as his proving grounds to show how far he has come from that defeat and he didn't disappoint, dropping the champion in the first round and controlling the tempo of the fight. Ortiz also survived a blistering knockdown in the sixth round and overall showed serious grit in the trenches.

Whatever notions people had about him after the Maidana fight were completely shattered. Ortiz is a different fighter these days and he has put his demons from that fight to rest.

The definition of a boxer-puncher

Ortiz is an extremely talented guy and the word 'boxer-puncher' instantly pops into my head when I think of him. He has a smooth, polished style but has also shown pockets of explosiveness, as evidenced by his 22 knockouts in 33 fights.

It will also be interesting to see how his southpaw attack bodes with Mayweather, who has been rumored of being leery of lefties for years now. DeMarcus 'Chop Chop' Corley and Zab Judah both appeared to stun Floyd in the early rounds of their respective bouts with him and he will have to be careful with Ortiz in the opening rounds.

Away from the game

By the time Floyd sets foot into the ring he will have been away from a boxing ring as a professional for over sixteen months, dating back to his May 2010 whitewashing of Mosley. At 34 years old, Mayweather is far from a shrinking violet but father time catches up to everyone, especially when you are inactive in the manner he has been.

Floyd has been troubled with domestic and personal issues over the past year and it's hard to get a gauge of where his head is at these days. While taking a fight with Ortiz is a refreshing sign, it is a move that comes with more risk than some would think.

September 17th can't come fast enough.

Source: examiner.com