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By Keith Idec
Steven Ortiz was active and accurate enough to convince two judges he beat Wesley Ferrer on Friday night.
Philadelphia’s Ortiz edged Brooklyn’s Ferrer by majority decision in an eight-round lightweight fight in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Judges Mike Bower (78-74) and Henry Ellick (77-75) scored the fight for Ortiz, while judge Henry Gueary scored their competitive contest even (76-76).
Ortiz’s win came in the second of four “ShoBox” bouts Showtime aired from Firelake Arena.
Ortiz improved to 9-0. Ferrer lost for the first time as a pro (12-1-1, 7 KOs).
Neither Ferrer nor Ortiz landed enough flush punches in the eighth round to clearly indicate who won it.
Ortiz connected with his jab consistently in the first half of the seventh round. Ferrer and Ortiz landed effective shots in the second half of that competitive round.
Ferrer hit Ortiz with two chopping right hands around the one-minute mark of the sixth round.
Ferrer clocked Ortiz with an overhand right to the side of his head when there was 1:17 left in the fifth round. Ortiz held to keep Ferrer from following up.
Ortiz and Ferrer traded power shots during the final 15 seconds of the fifth round.
Ortiz caught Ferrer with a left hook out of a clinch 45 seconds into the fourth round. Referee Laurence Cole warned Ortiz for a low blow with 31 seconds to go in the fourth.
A stiff jab by Ferrer knocked Ortiz off balance with 1:35 remaining in the third round. Ortiz countered Ferrer with a left hook late in the third round.
Ferrer clipped Ortiz with an overhand right early in the second round. Ortiz’s left hook knocked Ferrer backward just before the midway point of the second round.
Ferrer drilled Ortiz with an overhand right when there were 24 seconds left in the first round. That shot knocked Ortiz back into the ropes and forced him to hold.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
