By Rick Reeno
In the aftermath of Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana, I received a lot of calls, emails and texts from writers, fighters and industry players who were not surprised that Maidana was able to upset Ortiz in the HBO televised headliner at Staples Center in California. The fight itself was a classic and saw five knockdowns before Maidana put Ortiz away in the sixth.
One of the best quotes I was given came from former lightweight champion Nate Campbell, who thought Ortiz was being manufactured as the next big thing by the media. Prior to his loss, there were many who called Ortiz the second coming of Oscar De La Hoya.
You earn championship status, its not given to you. You can’t take a guy who fought nobody and claim them as the next coming. The first time you put them in with somebody who just don’t give a f*ck, this is what you get. I’m not glad that Ortiz lost but I am glad that a guy like Maidana, who gets no press, comes in and fights his ass off and gets the win,” Campbell said.
