by Chris Labate
In a recent interview with the Grand Rapids Press, trainer Freddie Roach discussed the fall showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. The fight happens on September 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While most experts are giving Mayweather almost no shot of winning the fight with a knockout, Roach believes Mayweather is capable of pulling it off if he catches Ortiz walking in. Mayweather was able to stop Ricky Hatton when he caught the Manchester star walking in with a counter left hand.
"Can Mayweather knock him out? If he makes Vic get a little too aggressive and walks him into a counter shot. That's the kind of power he usually has," Roach said.
Roach gives Mayweather the edge to win, but doesn't considers it a "great fight" and feels Ortiz is a much better, and much stronger fighter since moving up to the welterweight division.
"Ortiz is strong at the weight," Roach said. "I've always liked him at the higher weight. I've been telling him for years to move up in weight. He walks around at 165 and he was fighting at 140. He was killing himself.
"You should see him when he's in the gym at 150, sparring with Pacquiao, if you want to see some of the best sparring sessions you've ever seen in your life. Great sparring. But then when he gets down close to weight, I've seen him get knocked down twice in my gym, by mediocre guys, because he weakened himself so much, trying to make weight. I think the weight makes a big difference."
