By Lem Satterfield
Fresh from the biggest win of his career, WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz is looking to secure the most lucrative fights possible. Last Saturday at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, Ortiz (29-2-2, 22KOs) captured the welterweight crown with a twelve round unanimous decision in a "Fight of The Year" battle with previously unbeaten Andre Berto.
In a few weeks, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer will schedule a meeting with Ortiz to discuss a few possible options for his next fight.
"Well, you know, I think that this was a tremendous victory for Victor, and I think that it was great for him and everyone at Golden Boy. It was an exciting victory for an exciting guy, so we will have to see now what's next. In the coming weeks, we're going to be sitting down with Victor," said Schaefer to BoxingScene.com.
There was no rematch clause with Berto, although it's rumored in the industry that Berto's promoter, Lou DiBella, has options on Ortiz's next 2-3 fights. A rematch with Berto is a possible option for the future, but right now Ortiz would like to target the two biggest names in the welterweight division - Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"There are a lot of different possibilities. A rematch is one of them. Maybe not right away. Maybe there are other opportunities out there. Victor made it clear to me at the post-fight press conference that he wants the big fights, and the names that he mentioned of course were Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. So, we'll see what can be made," Schaefer said.
Ortiz vs. Pacquiao is a tough fight to make, when considering the hostile relationship between Golden Boy and Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank. However, Golden Boy does have a good relationship with Mayweather, who promotes himself. But, Mayweather is dealing with several ongoing court battles in Las Vegas and his expected return to boxing is unknown.
"We have always had a nice relationship with Floyd Mayweather. We always have. We've worked with Floyd on his past four or five fights or so, and I think that he was happy. Everybody walked away happy. So, we'll see. But right now, as I said before, Floyd Mayweather is taking care of business outside of the ring, but we'll have to see how everything is going to come along," Schaefer said.