Is Victor Ortiz a legitimate challenge for Floyd Mayweather Jr? (ESPN Hot Button)

it is legit no doubt about it......and i soemhow agree with ortiz when he said floyd aint as good as he thinks he is(that does'nt mean he aint good , coz he's great)...but he does overrate his abilities to the max.... floyd's defense is great, offense aint all that....

the only ppl that would be considered challenges to a fighter on floyds level rite now are sergio and manny. its that simple. anybody else, no1 seems to care about. i cant blame them. hes soooo much better than everyone else but those guys. I think most people would also like to see Cotto v Mayweather or Margarito v Mayweather, but no, he selects Ortiz.

this Thread............damn floyd is that good? That's the crazy part... Mayweather is just that good. The guy gets punished for being the hardest worker in the sport. He gets two'd on just because he does his job exceptionally well.

He's a legitimate opponent. Whether he's a challenge for Floyd is another thing though Agreed. It's a fight you cannot criticize unless you refuse to give Floyd credit for anything. On the other hand, Ortiz is getting dominated, we all know that.

this Thread............damn floyd is that good?

Who exactly do you think is there for Floyd considering he wants none of Pac and Sergio? Name at least one or two. :-|

he's the most legit opponent outside pacquiao and martinez. we'll see if he's a true challenge on sept 17th, but as far as being a legit opponent, most deff.

yup...hes just too young and inexperienced...Floyd picks his fights by the amount of advantage he has. What are those advantages in this fight ? , Ortiz is bigger stronger nearly as fast and punches twice as hard and is mentally prime coming of his biggest win the guy will be a beast right now and in the best shape of his life , would you rather Floyd fight older washed up guys like Margo and Cotto then you would say he picks shot guys , I find your comment laughable , this is a dangerous fight for Floyd when you consider inactivity and age and size difference , and its obvious Floyd is on the decline .

i like martinez... but c'mon... he's not THAT good. He has no business fighting guys like floyd,manny, and cotto. He's 160 lbs and those guys are small welters..He shouldn't be in the discussion.

He's an legitimate opponent for Floyd but i don't think he will challenge Mayweather much. I personally think Mayweather is gonna kick his ass lol. The only two guys who i think would be a legitimate challenge for Mayweather right now is Pacquiao and Martinez (at 154).

Ortiz is far more dangerous to Floyd than his last 3, maybe 4 opponents.

He is more of a ko threat than pac, maravilla and khan :boxing:

Is Victor a legitimate opponent, of course he is, any boxing fan already knows that. There are those questions about his past, but there is no denying his power and youth. I expect Mayweather's elite skills to carry him throughout the night, but nonetheless, Ortiz will remain a very dangerous foe. When you're fighting at the top echelon of the sport, it seems as if competition hardly comes your way. This includes fighters such as Mayweather, Donaire, Martinez, and Pacquiao, they are just so good that they make even great fighters look like bums. So until these top athletes start fighting each other, we will always have half-brained critics arguing against who their opponents are.

He is. I'd say for people to judge his performance after the fight and no matter who wins or loses dont make excuses for the fighter.

Two opinions You decide 1# Legit Challenge Ortiz has youth, power and heart By Igor Guryashkin ESPN.com Archive In April, Victor Ortiz sat in a dark room in the back of an athletics facility in Manhattan. Ensconced by a gaggle of journalists, who had been warned that any questions relating to his now-infamous fight against Marcos Maidana were out-of-bounds, Ortiz soon got tired of the veiled comments about his supposed lack of "heart." He glanced at his cellphone. The wallpaper on the screen was a shot of the WBC welterweight belt. When I asked him about it, he replied, "It's there so I never forget what I'm fighting for." Then calmly, almost dismissively: "It's mine." Later that week, he took the belt -- the one that adorned his cellphone (and, previously, Andre Berto's waist). In boxing, one moment of weakness can define a fighter and overshadow his past glories. (Just think Roberto Duran's famous "No mas," which left a glittering career forever diminished.) But a lifetime of adversity can also prove to be defining, and for Ortiz, the motivation -- as much as he denies it -- has been to prove his critics wrong. In his mind, he did it once against Berto, so he can do it again against Floyd Mayweather Jr. And why not? Ortiz, 24, has conquered far sterner challenges outside the squared circle than he has within it. Abandoned as a child, Ortiz made his way out of the foster care system and won a world title. Now, alongside his family from the gym, he is defending that title in the biggest challenge in the sport. No more motivation is needed, and it's this that makes Ortiz Mayweather's most dangerous opponent in years. On Sept. 17, Mayweather will face an opponent who is noticeably bigger. Many speculate that Ortiz throws the hardest punch that Mayweather has faced. Perhaps. But most important, Ortiz is the youngest fighter Mayweather has faced in a long time. Ortiz isn't a fighter bloated by wealth and hubris, nor one slowed by Father Time or masquerading in a weight division several slots too high. He is young, hungry and has something that can't be said of Floyd's most recent opponents -- he's fighting at his boxing peak. If Ortiz fights with the same intensity that he did against Berto, expect fireworks and twists in what some incorrectly view as a predictable tale. Should Ortiz be considered the favorite? No, under no circumstances. But he's due more than a mere puncher's chance. Instead, he should be afforded at least the consideration of a current titlist: a champion's chance. #2 Not Legit Just another fall guy for Floyd By Brian Campbell ESPN.com Archive Boxing never veers too far from its roots. Though at its core a sport, the sweet science often dips its toes in the waters of spectacle, carnival and entertainment. More often than not, the public is buying more than the promise of violence; it is also being sold the contrast between two opponents' fighting styles, backgrounds and personalities. Rarely before has the hype machine -- in this case spearheaded by HBO's fantastic "24/7" documentary series -- had more ingredients at its disposal to create a dynamic promotion than Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz. But in the process of enticing casual fans with attractive storylines (hero vs. villain, aging legend vs. go-for-broke youth), the promotion is hustling the misinformed with a fools' gold of style over substance. Simply put, Ortiz isn't in Mayweather's class. Not even close. Throw out what will amount to 17 months of inactivity for Floyd come Sept. 17. Forget about the two flush shots from Shane Mosley that buckled his knees in his last fight. Disregard the overrated notion that Mayweather has a history of trouble with southpaws, having eaten inconsequential shots from Zab Judah and "Chop Chop" Corley years ago. This fight is a mismatch. Short of Mayweather finally stepping up to the plate to face Manny Pacquiao -- or a small handful of big-name options such as Amir Khan or Sergio Martinez -- there are few fights at this point that wouldn't elicit the same response. That's the price you pay for being an all-time great. Mayweather has done very few things right of late in the public eye -- he is reportedly the defendant in six pending lawsuits -- but two qualities about him remain flawless: his shrewd choices in low-risk, high-reward dance partners inside the ring and his ability to perform come fight night. The selection of Oritz was no accident. Mayweather even made a rare scouting trip to watch the biggest victory of Ortiz's career: a unanimous decision win over Andre Berto in April. It was a courageous performance for Ortiz, who got off the canvas twice to repeal his label of "quitter" from the court of public opinion. But it also gave Mayweather a ringside view of an incomplete 24-year-old fighting into the 12th round for the first time in 33 pro bouts. Ortiz squares up as he comes forward, doesn't commit to the jab, and defense has never been his strong suit. All three are cardinal sins against Mayweather, a defensive wizard who possesses all-time great technique and counterpunching ability. Floyd is also an advanced practitioner of the mental game, evidenced by his dominance in HBO's "Face Off" series over a reluctant Ortiz, who appeared unsure of his role in the promotion. If Mayweather -- as some have speculated -- is using the bout as a de facto tuneup for a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao, then, quite frankly, no harm done. But it's just as likely that Ortiz ends up going down as another strategically hand-picked fall guy offered up to inflate Mayweather's bloated unbeaten record. Sorry, I'll pass. http://espn.go.com/boxing/hot?id=6916706 Only problem with Brian Campbell's arguement is why floyd was scouting the fight. It wasn't to see Victor, it was too bring attention to his next opponent, Andre Berto. Unfortunately, Berto folded under pressure.

We will only know after the fight. IMO

He's a legitimate opponent. Whether he's a challenge for Floyd is another thing though yup...hes just too young and inexperienced...Floyd picks his fights by the amount of advantage he has.

Legitimate? Yes. Challenge? Probably not.

Lamont Peterson! Its legit as far as the fight is potentially exciting. But the only way Ortiz makes it a tough test for Floyd is if Floyd is on the decline. If Floyd wants a real challenge, he should fight Sergio. the only ppl that would be considered challenges to a fighter on floyds level rite now are sergio and manny. its that simple. anybody else, no1 seems to care about. i cant blame them. hes soooo much better than everyone else but those guys.

Of course it's a legitimate challenge. It doesn't matter what my opinion on Ortiz is, he's the WW Champion, he beat one of the top 3 WWs in the world. How can he not be a legitimate challenge?