By Jake Donovan
Another contestant's existing medical condition spared Victor Ortiz a third straight knockout defeat.
The former welterweight champ survived the first night of elimination only after Dorothy Hamill removed herself from competition.
Ortiz is off to a rough start as a celebrity dancer on Season 16 of 'Dancing With the Stars,' as he landed in the bottom three of competition during Tuesday night's results show. The California-based boxer found himself on the brink of elimination along with reality star Lisa Vanderpump, only to be offered a reprieve.
Hamill's announcement came just as Andy Dick was revealed to be safe, leaving Ortiz and Vanderpump nervous only to breathe a sigh of relief. Confirmation was never offered as to who would have been sent packing, for which they both have Hamill to thank.
“It would be completely unfair of me to stay and do any of this,” commented Hamill, a past Olympic Gold medal figure skater. The statement came at the point when the eliminated contestant would be revealed, as Hamill and her professional dance partner Tristan McManus were summoned to the stage.
Time ran out before the hosts could obtain reactionary quotes from the boxer. His earlier body language suggested a man on the verge of elimination.
"First let's not get our hopes up," Ortiz quipped earlier in the show when asked if he was prepared to perform a Contemporary dance should he survives this week's cut.
'DWTS' co-host and past show champion Brooke Burke asked the boxer to keep his hopes up, though he admitted that his nerves were getting the best of him.
"There's a very positive vibe here; it's just hard to do up here," Ortiz confessed. "I'm just hoping for the best and preparing for the worst."
Ortiz received a combined 36 out of 60 possible points during the first two weeks of competition. Given Hammill's exit - complete with a heartfelt goodbye at show's end - he will stick around for at least one more week as one of 11 remaining celebrity contestants.
A mid-show segment offered comments from most of the contestants admitting their difficulty in transitioning from their full time jobs to the dance floor.
“I thought it was going to be simple, easy to learn, no big deal,” Ortiz revealed in realizing the rude awakening with which he was met. “Boxing, I’m light on my feet. It’s going to be hands down easy.”
Guess what?
“It’s not,” Ortiz admits.
The decision to enter the competition came while sidelined from a still-healing jaw that was broken during his 9th round stoppage loss to Josesito Lopez last June. The result was one of the biggest upsets of 2012, as well as his last ring appearance.
Ortiz is due to return to the ring in September, regardless of how long he lasts on Dancing With the Stars.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
