Profile of Top Prospect Victor Ortiz
“Vicious” Victor Ortiz, 25-2 with 20 knockouts, is a young Mexican-American Junior Welterweight fighter who is highly touted by Golden Boy Promotions and is supposed to make an immediate impact on the division, being touted as the 2008 ESPN Prospect of the year.
Amateur Career – Ortiz, through the guidance of former heavyweight contender Ron Lyle (who supervised the gym where Ortiz trained) won a Junior Olympic tournament in 2003 at the age of 16, where he won the 132 lb division.
At the age of 17, Ortiz reached the US Olympic Boxing Trials in the 132 lb weight class although he was eliminated in the final stages.
Early Professional Career – Ortiz turned pro in 2004 at the age of 17. He won his first 7 fights easily against weak opposition, but his first loss came via a controversial disqualification where he knocked his opponent out after the referee ordered a clinch to be separated.
Fight vs. Arrieta/2008 ESPN Prospect of the year – in September of 2008, Ortiz fought his first 12 round bout against Roberto David Arrieta of Argentina. Ortiz won in dominant fashion, knocking Arrieta down in the second, fourth and fifth rounds and won by TKO in the fifth. This performance led to Ortiz being touted as the 2008 ESPN boxing prospect of the year
Fight vs. Arnoutis – in his first HBO televised fight, Ortiz fought Mike Arnoutis of Greece who previously held his own against fighters such as Ricardo Torres, Juan Urango and Kendall Holt. Ortiz won by 2nd round TKO, earning the USBA title and retaining the WBO NABO title.
Fight vs. Maidana – in June of 2009, Ortiz fought the talented knockout artist Marcos Maidana for the vacant WBA World Junior Welterweight Title. Although he knocked down Maidana once in the first round and twice in the second round, Ortiz lost by 6th round TKO after suffering a cut in the 5th round. Ortiz was favored in this fight and it was his true test to see if he was ready for the big time.
Ortiz’s most recent fight was a 6th round TKO victory over the veteran Antonio Diaz, proving that he was able to rebound nicely from the Maidana loss and is still a legitimate contender and top prospect in this talent loaded division.
What’s Next – Ortiz has been consistently fighting in the 140 lb. junior welterweight division: A division that is completely loaded with talent. Ortiz is still young and is establishing himself as one of the top junior welterweight contenders. It is a possibility that Ortiz may fight Timothy Bradley in early 2010. Bradley is looking for a big fight, and Ortiz would be a great contender.
