By Cliff Rold
No titles? No problem. Lost in all the hoopla of ‘super’ this and ‘pay per’ that is the joy of seeing two young fighters whose physical primes are evident to the eye, both at the peak of their professional hunger. It used to be more common in boxing but the nature of a market which crucifies for the simple sin of defeat, the struggle for air time, creates more risk aversion than is often healthy.
The last few years, we’ve seen less of it. There have been more quality fights more frequently but this is still of the rare breed. In terms of Boxing After Dark shows, this might be the riskiest test for a major prospect since Heavyweight David Tua was locking horns with almost every other young Heavyweight worth a look in the mid and late 1990s.
The star hopeful here is obvious. Victor Ortiz is headlining at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Win and the chance for a Southern California answer to the New York hysteria which greets Welterweight Miguel Cotto is not out of the question.
Neither is a spectacular disaster. Ortiz’s foe is that dangerous.
Let’s go to the report card.
The Ledgers
Victor Ortiz
Age: 22
Titles: None
Height: 5’9
Weight: 139.7 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 141.1 lbs.
Hails from: Oxnard, California
Record: 24-1-1, 19 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (Carlos Maussa)
Vs.
Marcos Maidana
Age: 25
Title: None
Height: 5’9
Weight: 140 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 141.1 lbs.
Hails from: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Record: 25-1, 24 KO
Record in Major Title Fights: 0-1
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 1 (Andriy Kotelnik)
Pre-Fight Grades
Speed: Ortiz B+; Maidana B-
Power: Ortiz B+; Maidana B+
Defense: Ortiz B; Maidana B-
Intangibles: Ortiz B; Maidana B
There are a lot of “B’s” in the grades this week. It doesn’t reflect B-level talent as much as the place each fighter is in their careers. Maidana’s close points loss to Kotelnik in his last fight might be the best ring experience either man has had to date. These are both fighters with potential to matter at Jr. Welterweight for a while.
Physical tools indicate Ortiz should be favored. He is the faster, sharper puncher of the two. He sticks his jab with an authority Maidana sometimes lacks, meaning his opponents have less time to brace for the big shots behind it. That Ortiz is a southpaw makes it even more dangerous. Against the orthodox Kotelnik, the jab kept Maidana honest for long stretches and there was little to fear in Kotelnik’s right hand. Ortiz possesses a straight left and right hook which can do damage.
While Maidana might not have the same raw speed, he does have decent timing and mixes his offense up well enough. He’s not shy about consistency of attack, making plain that he wants to land his big right hand but also committing to hard hooks to the body. He also possesses an authoritative left uppercut. If he can catch Ortiz coming in or off balance, he can land the sort of grinding shots which set up the big finish.
It’s hard to say which man holds the power advantage. While Maidana has faced the best single foe, Ortiz may have faced a slightly better overall quality of opposition but it is close. They’ve both seen their share of stiffs and faded names with recent surges up in level of opposition. It’s called moving from promising prospect to contender; no surprises there.
However, with the surges recent it makes it hard to fully assess the defense of either man. They haven’t seen enough above incoming beyond the pedestrian to test the walls. What we can see is that Ortiz is more likely to slip a shot and use footwork to create angles. Maidana is a straight ahead warrior whose hands are held high and tight enough but whose primary concern is getting fists of leather onto flesh. He was open for the left jab and right hand of Kotelnik and the still-reigning WBA titlist is a more methodical fighter than Ortiz. He’s a technician. If Ortiz can hurry the pace without getting tagged, the chance to overwhelm Maidana is there.
It seems strange with two so young to measure their intangibles in the ring. This is the sort of fight where such things truly begin to emerge. There are early indications of strong ring character though for both. Ortiz came off the floor with little struggle last year against veteran Dario Esalas, stopping his man and learning that even a fighter one can assume is done never really is if they land the right shot. In the case of Maidana, while he may not have won he comported himself well in a huge step up and has been comfortable fighting in multiple locations outside his native Argentina. If he can combine his previous experiences abroad with lessons learned when he enters the hostile turf at Staples, this could be an outstanding war.
The Pick
Ortiz looks and sounds the part his promoters at Golden Boy want him to play. With Oscar De La Hoya among a major recent loss in local Latin and Latin American stars, Ortiz emerges at the perfect time to pick up the banner. This weekend was originally hoped to be a shot at Kotelnik and Ortiz would have to have been favored there. He is favored here as well but the dimensions of the bout are quite different. Kotelnik just isn’t the same physical threat and for a young, aggressive fighter like Ortiz therein lies the danger.
Maidana is not like so many South American fighters of recent years when they first make their moves up. His record actually has names one has heard of. Add to that Maidana lost his last bout and he enters with his back to the wall. It’s a dangerous place to put a puncher. This corner goes with the mild upset, picking Maidana to delay to Ortiz ride to the top with a mid-round stoppage in a fight that makes both young fighters better in the long run.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
