Former world champion Victor Ortiz is giving credibility to Jake Gyllenhaal's new fight film Southpaw by signing up for a supporting role.
Ortiz will add to his acting resume with the role of Ramone, a street kid with boxing potential. The onscreen story parallels his real life struggles - Ortiz had a difficult childhood.
Southpaw will be Ortiz's second feature film - he is set to make his debut as one of the stars of Expendables 3, and was personally cast by Sylvester Stallone.
Ortiz joins Gyllenhaal, Rachel MCAdams and Forest Whitaker in Southpaw, which will be directed by Antoine Fuqua. Gyllenhaal took over the lead role when rapper Eminem quit the movie in March.
