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
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