One decision could have easily changed boxing

If Oscar De La Hoya managed to land Victor Ortiz the Andriy Koltelnik fight back in 2009 instead of the Maidana fight, things could have been really different. Khan would have had to fight Maidana without any clue about his punching power. If the roles were switched Khan, Ortiz, and many others would have had different careers. Unfortunately for Ortiz, Khan landed a title shot at 140 pounds in his first fight at the weight. Ortiz had to settle for the Maidana fight for the interim title. How would this have impacted many careers? 1. Ortiz became damaged goods after taking that beating from Maidana. He took punishment although he was winning the rounds. 2. I’m not sure Khan would have survived Maidana. Roach and Khan knew what they were up against because Ortiz was the sacrificial lamb. They avoided fighting Maidana two times in a row. Maidana had the interim WBA title and was Khan’s immediate mandatory. Khan defended his belt against Salita and Malignaggi. 3. Let’s say Ortiz fought Koltelnik and Khan fought Maidana and both Khan and Ortiz won their fights, I don’t think Khan could have been able to handle the power combined with the speed of Ortiz. 4. Maidana might have not gotten the reputation he has today. His most memorable moment was breaking down Ortiz. If Maidana would have KO’d Khan, it wouldn’t have been a surprise. If Khan would have beaten this “unknown” version of Maidana, then Maidana wouldn’t have gotten bigger fights. 5. Berto and Broner might not have had as many losses on their record. Berto would have never fought Ortiz or even Guerrero and Broner might have not caught an L until crossing paths with Porter. Broner’s first PPV fight might have been against a Latino who can draw numbers at that time - Victor Ortiz? Remember, Broner vs Maidana wasn’t PPV because Maidana wasn’t too popular. 6. Canelo might have not been Oscar’s “Goldenboy.” We might have seen his career not handled as carefully. Ortiz would have been the Goldenboy, but it’s because of what happened to Ortiz that Oscar learned not to make the same mistake with Canelo.

Comments (10)

victor ortiz is the p4p #1 best in that new alternate universe nasa just found Lmaoooooo imagine that

6y ago

daggum

GGG not fighting Brook. Brook wouldve unified with Vargas and the welterweight division wouldve had 2 champs with Brook or Vargas facing Spence. If Spence wins he has the IBF & WBO. Has to fight Crawford as the mandatory or Thurman to become undisputed i really dont think holding all the belts matters at all. maybe 10-15 years ago it would have been a big deal but crawford just did it and no one cared. boxers have become smarter and know they can just simply drop a belt with very little criticism like canelo did instead of facing ggg. they also know they can simply pick up a belt when they want with the rigt matchmaking. they are just more things to work with when you wield power

6y ago

Jab_Jab_Hook

6y ago

daggum

victor ortiz is the p4p #1 best in that new alternate universe nasa just found

6y ago

eco1

IF my Grandmother had wheels she would've been a skateboard.

6y ago

tito_bandito

On the other hand, I kind of agree that Khan might have lost to Maidana if the latter didn't build his reputation as a power punching monster by beating the crap out of Ortiz first. Khan was very well prepared for Maidana when they actually did fight. Definitely, Khan would have came sworming in like he did against Salita and would have gotten caught.

6y ago

tito_bandito

To complicated and too many ifs and buts and maybe. A really good fighter makes his own future and will overcome a bad loss. Ortiz quit to Maidana because he had neither the skill or the will to beat him. Canelo would never have quit to Maidana and he would have knocked him out. Canelo made his own future from natural ability, gameness, dedication and hard work. Ortiz never had what it takes to be a great fighter or even a very good one and Canrlo did. Ortiz can punch and he won a world title so that is a good accomplishment but he has also quit more than once. Not necessarily man. Ortiz was winning the fight before his eye shut and Maidana got the better of him. Through the first 4 rounds it looked like Ortiz was going to stop him, dropping Maidana 3 times. Canelo definitely had an easier road than Ortiz. They gave him his first title shot by moving Matthew Hatton up in weight to fight for a vacant belt. Ortiz was only 22 years old when he fought Maidana. Oscar definitely gave Canelo time to fight a puncher like Golovkin. It was because he learned from his mistakes with Victor Ortiz. That was a $10 million dollar investment that was ruined. Oscar bought his contract from Bob Arum, but he did nothing to take care of the kid’s career. How the heck did he let Khan’s team outbid him for the Koltelnik fight? Oscar could have gotten Ortiz to train with Roach when it mattered - that was a better fit than Roach-Khan cuz Ortiz had a Pacquiao-like style. My point is, that one decision could have changed a lot of careers. Canelo might have had to face Golovkin when he wasn’t ready if you think about it. Oscar would have been preoccupied with managing Ortiz’ career.

6y ago

Willy_Wanker

6y ago

Willy_Wanker

I honestly think Ortiz would have never beaten Khan at any point. Both have weak chins, Khan's chin is weaker but he had heart unlike Ortiz. Khan would have boxed Ortiz's ears off and probably stopped him late.

6y ago

boliodogs

6y ago