With just one day to go until the mega-fight between Six-Time World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and WBC Welterweight World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, top athletes, boxers and media members have weighed in on who they think will be victorious on Saturday night.
“STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz” takes place Saturday, Sept. 17 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
ATHLETES/BOXERS
“Mayweather will win by decision. I think Mayweather wins because of his speed and experience. Even though I like the young fella Ortiz, I have Mayweather winning this one.”
– Carlos Boozer, Forward, Chicago Bulls
“Mayweather KO in 8.”
– Caron Butler, Forward, NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks
“The champ will walk in the ring as a champ and leave the ring as THE champ. Floyd is the best; nothing more needs to be said.”
– Mark Cuban, Owner of the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks
“My opinion is that Mayweather is going to win. Mayweather has tremendous defense and speed. Mayweather also has the power, and we all know Victor can get hurt. Victor Ortiz, however, has a lot of heart and he showed that in his last fight. I believe Ortiz also has the power to change the fight and beat Mayweather. I believe the fight will go to distance and Mayweather will win by points. I don’t see a knock out happening.”
– Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, Former World Champion
“This fight presents a unique opportunity for Victor Ortiz; he takes a punch and gives as well. By seven rounds, I expect Ortiz to pull ahead with Mayweather holding on, avoiding being KO’d.”
– George Foreman, Former World Champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
“I think Mayweather vs. Ortiz will be a great fight and may the best man win!”
– Danny Garcia, Undefeated Junior Welterweight Contender
“Victor Ortiz is a young, hungry lion with an incredible story. How can anybody not root for a guy like him? He’ll leave everything in the ring come fight night and the fans will get their money’s worth, but Floyd Mayweather’s speed and intelligence will be the key to a unanimous decision victory. Floyd will weather an early storm from Ortiz and make the proper adjustments to come out victorious. Floyd’s been a tremendous fighter for many years. We’ll see how many great fights he has left in him.”
– Robert Guerrero, WBA and WBO Interim Lightweight World Champion
“Mayweather by unanimous points decision or stoppage. This promises to be a very interesting fight, as Mayweather is coming off a long layoff and Ortiz is in the prime of his fighting life and fresh off a great win over the unbeaten Andre Berto. Ortiz may have his moments in the fight as Mosley did, but ultimately I believe Mayweather’s perfection will shine through as the fight goes on. Whatever the outcome, I’m very excited about this fight and will no doubt be watching live.”
– David Haye, Former World Champion
“You ask me as a fan and as a guy with boxing credibility. I think the win goes to the guy with the higher fighting IQ and the experience. You have one guy who has been in the game longer than the other, the guy who comes from a boxing family. I love Ortiz. Would I be surprised if Ortiz gives Floyd all he can handle? No! But, with Floyd’s style and Ortiz’s style, I see Floyd winning this fight convincingly.”
– Bernard Hopkins, WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion
“It’s going to be a tough fight for Victor and I hope he does well, but Mayweather has more experience and I think Mayweather will beat him in the later rounds on points. If it’s the same Victor that turned up for Berto, it’s going to be a tough fight for Mayweather.”
– Amir Khan, WBA Super Lightweight and IBF Junior Welterweight World Champion
“I predict Floyd with his talent and experience. This fight could be his toughest and most dangerous fight if Ortiz doesn’t freeze in this event. The eyes will reveal the truth.”
– Sugar Ray Leonard, Former World Champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
“Mayweather will outbox Ortiz to get a clear, unanimous decision, but if Ortiz fights like he did against Berto, Mayweather will be stopped.”
– Marcos Maidana, WBA Super Lightweight World Champion
“I think it’s a very competitive fight, contrary to what some of the media are saying. Victor is in fine form as of late, and he’s really come into his own these last couple years and more so than physically, he’s come into his own on a mental level, and you can see the confidence written all over his face and in his demeanor in general. Having said that, Floyd Mayweather to me might be the best fighter to ever put on a pair of boxing gloves. It will be interesting to see now that he’s no longer a spring chicken, if these layoffs will have any effect on him. He is a reflex/reaction type fighter, and those are the first things you lose as age creeps up on you. Age may be a factor because Floyd is up against a hungry young lion. I pick Floyd in a close fight that goes the distance and might even be controversial, but if he’s lost anything with his age, I can’t say I’d be hugely surprised if Victor pulls off the upset. Five years ago, I would pick Floyd in a less competitive fight even if not a dominant one, of course, that’s with the Victor of today against the Floyd of back then, but that’s not a knock on Victor, it’s just that Floyd in his prime was unreal and would beat very good fighters and at times make it even look easy. I like this fight a lot; I applaud Victor for taking it while accepting the random drug tests. I would love to have that in pro boxing for everyone and not just Mayweather and his opponents. The NFL just implemented a random HGH test as well as minor league baseball. Pro soccer players are also subject to mandatory random tests, so if the best professional athletes in the world are now being subjected to them, then I don’t see why boxers should not, at the very least on a world class level. So I commend Victor, and I like what Floyd is doing. This is an exemplary fight not just because they are world class athletes, but obviously they are making a point that they are gentlemen and fair and honest sportsmen as well.”
– Paulie Malignaggi, Former World Champion
“I think Mayweather will win a decision. He has more experience and he’s too smart and quick. I’m not taking away anything from Victor, I think he will give a great fight, but I think Mayweather will win.”
– Abner Mares, IBF Bantamweight World Champion and WBC Silver Bantamweight Champion
“I’m picking Ortiz in a decision.”
– Willis McGahee, Running Back, Denver Broncos
“I am expecting a tough fight for Mayweather. I feel Victor Ortiz is a man on a mission…a determined, young, strong and embittered man. Life, family and critics have created a monster inside Victor. Pretty Boy is in for a rough night September 17 – another storm Floyd will endure. Mature skills and experience win fights. I think Victor’s momentum and strengths outweigh Floyd’s, but Floyd’s poise and polished skills will be the deciding factor as always. Close rounds will be tough to score. Victor may take the early lead, but middle and final rounds will be all Mayweather right hands and uppercuts. I see Mayweather winning a close decision in a fight where both men face adversity.”
– Sergio Mora, Former World Champion
“Mayweather will win by a decision. He is too fast for Ortiz.”
– Israel Vazquez, Former World Champion
“Mayweather has too much experience plus he’s the best till somebody beats him, but it’s going to be exciting.”
– Micky Ward, Former World Title Contender
“I think that Mayweather will win the fight. He’s gonna box Ortiz, do a lot of counter punching and jabs to the body to keep Ortiz off balance. Exciting if Ortiz fights [Mayweather] like he did Berto, but Floyd is not Berto, so I think Floyd will win by decision or maybe KO if Ortiz is not careful.”
– Winky Wright, Former World Champion
MEDIA MEMBERS
“Mayweather by TKO 9. While Ortiz is a dangerous opponent, he doesn’t have Mayweather’s experience, ring generalship and ability to adjust on the fly. Floyd’s counterpunching and defense will prove to be the difference as he controls the fight, picks Ortiz apart and it results in a stoppage.”
– Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal
“I’m predicting Floyd Mayweather in seven rounds.”
– DJ Clue, Power 105 Disc Jockey (New York City)
“Ortiz needs to take it to Mayweather early. He will be dangerous for Mayweather the first four or five rounds. Mayweather will work him out by then and break him down. I predict a late stoppage or points win for Mayweather.”
-Gareth Davies, Telegraph (UK)
“There will not be a knockout in this fight, but it will be a fight in which Mayweather eventually wins. He is still more skilled. He is quicker and faster, but Ortiz will compete. He will not quit. He will compete with heart, but ultimately Mayweather will show that he is the best in the weight class and one of the best in the world.”
– Carl Dukes, Host of Put Up Your Dukes with Carl Dukes on ESPN Radio in Houston
“The variable is Floyd’s inactivity: he’s fought just 24 rounds since knocking out Ricky Hatton in 2007 and he’s new to the role of old master trying to tame a young lion. Still, Mayweather has never been in serious trouble in any fight and is far more familiar with the unique pressures of the megafight stage. It says here Floyd survives a scary moment, not unlike the second round of the Shane Mosley fight, before coasting to a comfortable decision.”
– Bryan Graham, Sports Illustrated
“Floyd Mayweather is going to win the fight.”
– Tom Joyner, radio host of the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show”
“Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision.”
– Jaime Motta, ESPN and ESPN Deportes On-Air Personality
“Victor Ortiz has to start fast and stay that way for 12 rounds. He won’t outbox or outthink Floyd Mayweather; he has to jump on him and pressure him and not give him a chance to breathe. That task will be aided if Mayweather, at 34 and with just two fights in four years, shows rust or age. If he doesn’t, then expect Mayweather’s skilled inside countering to come to the fore as the fight evolves. By round four, Ortiz is likely to start walking into increasingly well-timed counters, and after a couple of exciting back-and-forth rounds, Mayweather will take control and sweep the second half en route to a possibly close but certainly clear decision win.”
– Kieran Mulvaney, Reuters and ESPN.com
“Mayweather by decision.”
– Lance Pugmire, LA Times
“Mayweather is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and I am pretty convinced that the only guy who can beat him is me.”
-Sid Rosenberg, 560AM WQAM Miami Radio Personality
“Mayweather TKO in the 10th round. The only way that Victor can win is either by knockout or by being aggressive. Fighters who have done that such has Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton and Arturo Gatti have taken sustained technical beat downs from Floyd before being stopped.”
– Lem Satterfield, The Ring
“Floyd will finally return to the ring and take out some frustrations. Ortiz will provide a tough fight and a southpaw challenge but more than his blood will be tested. Mayweather will come prepared and make it a long night. Ortiz won’t be able to KO Mayweather and he’s only gone 12 rounds once. Mayweather by unanimous decision.”
– Jim Slater, AFP
“Mayweather KO in the 11th. He is a superior boxer. You can’t hurt what you can’t hit. I don’t believe Victor Ortiz can hit Mayweather. Ortiz can be had. He gets hit. He is going to fight valiantly, but he has never been in the ring with a boxer like Floyd Mayweather.”
-Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Personality
“Mayweather by 10th round TKO.”
– Tim Smith, New York Daily News
“Mayweather in the 10th round.”
-George Willis, New York Post
MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINERS
“Coincidentally ‘Money and Vicious’ is also the name of a Las Vegas law firm. But when it comes to fighters in this town, you’ll lose your money on Money. Ortiz TKO.”
– Terry Fator, Star of Terry Fator: Ventriloquism in Concert live at The Mirage
“We are split – three of us are picking Mayweather, and two of us are picking Ortiz.”
– The Stars of “Thunder from Down Under” at Excalibur Hotel & Casino
“Mayweather will defintiely win! Mayweather’s hands are just too fast for anyone. I wouldn’t want to fight him.”
– Mariah and Lorena, Two of the Stars of “FANTASY” at Luxor
