By Jake Donovan

Victor Ortiz thought he gained all the rest he needed in going 11 months between fights in 2014. Little did he know it would be another year – almost to the day – until the next time he’d step in the ring.

The former welterweight titlist was forced to spend most of 2015 on the sidelines nursing a wrist that was broken in four different places.

“It was a bummer I had to stay away for nearly the entire year,” Ortiz (30-5-2, 23KOs) told BoxingScene.com ahead of this weekend’s scheduled 10-round bout with Gilberto Sanchez-Leon, who replaces Orlando Lora as of Monday evening. 

The fight comes exactly 52 weeks after knocking out Manuel Perez in an intended comeback fight last December, with this weekend’s return taking place at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Ortiz’ appearance comes amidst seven hours of televised programming, with the evening highlighted by a tripleheader in primetime on free-to-air NBC. Prior to the telecast, Ortiz will headline a lead-in installment of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC Sports Network.

Headlining the NBC portion of the card, Texas’ own unbeaten Omar Figueroa takes on Antonio DeMarco in a battle of former lightweight champs now campaigning in the 140 lb. division.

The selection of Sanchez-Leon (33-13-2, 13KOs) - who is coming off of a 10-round decision loss to Wale Omotoso in October - came on Monday as a late replacement for Lora, who was scratched for undisclosed reasons. Whomever he faces matters little to Ortiz, whose only concern is regaining momentum in his career.

“The positive side to being out, I’m still a young 28,” says the California-based southpaw. “I’m not old. My brain is still intact and my boxing IQ is still there.”

There was concern to the contrary following a 2nd round knockout loss to fellow welterweight southpaw and former titlist Luis Collazo nearly two years ago in Brooklyn, New York. The shocking defeat was his first fight back in 19 months, after taking an extended break following-back-to-back stoppages at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Sept. ’11) and Josesito Lopez (June ’12).

The loss to Lopez was thought to be career-crippling, given the mental anguish as well as the physical punishment absorbed. Ortiz was ahead on all three scorecards after nine rounds of warfare, but was forced to retire on his stool due to a jaw that was broken in two different places. The defeat blew a chance at a huge payday versus then-unbeaten Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, while the loss to Collazo appeared to be the final shovel of dirt on his proverbial boxing grave.

Instead, the string of defeats provided extended periods of reflection for Ortiz, whose good looks and goofy sense of humor landed him several opportunities in Hollywood. The former champ enjoyed a brief stint on long-running reality TV series Dancing With the Stars, as well as supporting roles in Expendable 3 and recent boxing flick Southpaw from earlier this summer.

The one role he covets, however, is that of future two-time welterweight champ.

“It’s a new beginning, a new start. It’s a new camp, though once again with my great trainer Joel Diaz,” Ortiz sees things these days. “It’s a whole new boxing career, the way I see it.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox