By Lem Satterfield
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com that he believes that newly-crowned southpaw WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz is too inexperienced for the Golden Boy Promotions' planned Sept. 17 defense of his belt opposite undefeated, six-time champion Floyd Mayweather.
On Tuesday, Golden Boy Promotions announced that the 34-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) will challenge the 24-year-old Ortiz (29-2-2, 22KOs).
Mayweather will be in the ring for the first time since his May, 2010 unanimous decision over three-division, five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs).
In April, Ortiz rose from two knock downs and scored two of his own during a unanimous decision that dethroned previously unbeaten WBC king Andre Berto (27-1, 21KOs).
Arum said, nevertheless, that the timing is not right for Ortiz to face Mayweather, believing that the younger man will be in over his head.
"Victor Ortiz is not nearly ready for Floyd Mayweather. And for Golden Boy to put Ortiz -- who just won a title -- in with Mayweather at this point in his career is something that, from a boxing standpoint, makes no sense," said Arum.
"Ortiz just won a title from Andre Berto, and you figure that they would get him some more experience and have him make some title defenses," said Arum. "And the amount that Victor Ortiz is getting paid is nothing spectacular. It's nowhere near what Manny Pacquiao pays his opponents."
On November 12, southpaw eight division tilist Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) is set to face 37-year-old WBA and WBO lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) in defense of Pacquiao's WBO welterweight belt, that is, assuming Marquez gets beyond a July 2 defense of his own crowns against an opponent to be determined.
Pacquiao, respectively, has battled to a draw and a split-decision in May of 2004 and March of 2008 against Marquez.
"Marquez is getting $5 million plus an upside to fight Manny Pacquiao for the third time, and I'm sure that Ortiz is getting less than half of that," said Arum.
"I wouldn't have wasted or thrown a young guy like Ortiz into this match against Mayweather at this particular point in his career," said Arum. "I just wouldn't do it because there is just no way that Victor Ortiz is ready to fight somebody like Floyd Mayweather. There just isn't."
Last month, Golden Boy Promotions and Pacquiao reached a mutual agreement settling a lawsuit that appears to have cleared the path toward the potential for Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and Arum to make Mayweather-Pacquiao.
Schaefer and Arum twice failed to negotiate a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, and Pacquiao still has an ongoing suit against Mayweather, his uncle and trainer, Roger, and his father, Floyd Sr. that seeks damages for alleged accusations of steroid use.
The names of Schaefer and Golden Boy Promotions' president Oscar De La Hoya were removed from the same lawsuit only after the attorneys of Golden Boy Promotions agreed to draft an apology and to make it a public statement.
