By Chris Robinson
Earlier this month in Los Angeles, California, former welterweight champions Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz hosted the media ahead of their June 23 rematch, set to go down at the Staples Center.
Ortiz defeated Berto in a wild brawl a year ago on HBO’s airwaves, dropping the Haitian-American star twice and surviving a pair of knockdowns himself as he pulled out a unanimous decision victory. Ortiz was set to face Berto on February 12th of this year but saw the rematch pushed back four months after Berto injured his left bicep less than two weeks before the fight.
It’s only natural for people to question Ortiz on his future should he win the Berto rematch and while addressing the press at the LA presser, Victor was asked about possibly facing WBC junior middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez down the road.
Alvarez, who defends his belt against Shane Mosley on May 5th at the MGM Grand, is one of the biggest names in the sport but Ortiz is far from impressed.
“Man, come on. Canelo’s a good guy, but I’m going to be pulling for my boy Shane,” Ortiz would state during an interview with The Koncrete Jungle. “Sometimes I don’t agree with people getting titles for free. That’s not fair. If that’s the case I should have got one for my birthday.”
It’s true that the 21-year old Alvarez didn’t have the hardest of roads to a championship, as he defeated the very-limited Matthew Hatton in March of last year to capture the WBC bauble he now holds.
I just so happened to cross paths with Alvarez on Monday afternoon, as he could be found engaging in some sparring with former titlist Steve Forbes at the Long Life Fit Gym. Asked for his thoughts on Ortiz’s shrewd comments, Alvarez seemed to be indifferent.
“I don’t care what the people say and especially him, Victor Ortiz,” Alvarez stated. “I think Victor Ortiz should worry about his own career instead of somebody else’s and I've already spoken too much about Ortiz. He’s not even in my thoughts.”
Strong words from the young champion, who is staying wise by putting all of his focus on Mosley.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
