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daaaaaaamn.......that has to hurt more than a broken chin.....specially after.....
Victor Ortiz determined to carry on
Craig Bennett/Hoganphotos/Golden Boy
Even with his acting career gaining steam, Victor Ortiz hasn't given up on his dreams in the ring.
Former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz has been knocked out three times in a row. He suffered a badly broken jaw in one of those fights, an injury that was one of the main reasons for a 19-month layoff.
He has not won a fight since his April 2011 barn burner against Andre Berto, from whom Ortiz won a welterweight world title, only to lose it by memorable (and mildly controversial) knockout in his first defense against Floyd Mayweather Jr. later that year.
Ortiz, 27, could pursue more work in Hollywood -- he has been a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" and had a starring role in the movie "The Expendables 3" -- but said he's determined to continue boxing, even in the wake of a surprising second-round knockout to former titlist Luis Collazo in January. It was a loss that many thought was the end, or at least should be the end, of Ortiz's boxing career.
But Ortiz is carrying on, even if he is no longer the star of the show, or even close. He needs to work his way back to that place, if that's possible.
So Ortiz (29-5-2, 22 KOs) will be far down the card and an afterthought to many when he faces 30-year-old journeyman Manuel Perez (21-10-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round fight on Dec. 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While welterweights Devon Alexander and Amir Khan battle it out in the main event of a quadrupleheader on Showtime (9 p.m. ET), Ortiz's fight won't even make the main broadcast. He will appear on the Showtime Extreme (7 p.m. ET/PT) coverage of preliminaries.
Victor Ortiz hasn't been victorious since his 2011 all-action win against Andre Berto.
Still, Ortiz has a positive outlook on his career.
"I never lost any confidence in myself," Ortiz said at a media workout Tuesday at Del Mares Gym in Bell Gardens, California. "I took a little detour. I went off into a different world [Hollywood] and was quite successful at it. But at this point in time I want my world back. And that's boxing.
"Do I have to box? Absolutely not. I have been told by a lot of people to hang it up, but I make my own decisions and, at the end of the day, I am going to keep boxing. It is what I love to do. One important thing that was brought up was that I don't have to box ever again because of my movies. That's true. I don't have to box again. But that's not where I stand.
"I want to be one of the greats. I want to be the pound-for-pound king, and I know what it takes to get there. At this point in time I have put two films aside just to fight, and I'll be back in the ring to show you what I've been working on."
A resident of Ventura, California, Ortiz is working with a new trainer, Joel Diaz, who replaced Danny Smith. But longtime assistant Joseph "Hoss" Janik is still part of the team.
"I have been in training camp for the last 12 weeks now," Ortiz said. "There are some changes, but I have an open mind to whatever coach Joel Diaz has to say. I am not fond of the place or the spot [Indio, California], but it's training camp. I think in the next couple weeks we will see what I have been up to.
"I never left [the welterweight division]. It is still as deep and talented a weight class as it has ever been. You have great fighters, from the guys that I have been beaten by -- [Josesito] Lopez, [Marcos] Maidana, Mayweather. They are hot themselves, so I am just here once again to box. I'm going to be world champion again."
Although Perez, a Denver resident, is not in the same league as Ortiz's opponents of the past several years, Ortiz said he is not about to go looking for a knockout.
"That's pretty dangerous. We saw the last fight [against Collazo], it is what it is," Ortiz said. "I will go round by round and see how it goes."
Janik said the change of head trainers and training in a new spot have been good for Ortiz.
"I think the move to Indio was good; it was good location-wise and timing-wise," Janik said. "He needed a fresh start because of the stumbles we have had recently. Joel wanted to stay in Indio. Joel is a trainer who uses a lot of positive reinforcement, doesn't dwell on the negatives. He has been bringing out a lot of stuff Victor has done well in the past, putting combinations together.
"I think we may see a little of the old Victor Ortiz. At this point in his career, there isn't much new stuff you can teach him, but you can look back at the past and see what he did well. Talent-wise, physical ability-wise, he has everything that it takes. What I think doesn't matter, what he thinks doesn't matter. All that matters is what he does in the ring and if he performs up to his abilities and puts everything together on that given night. Then we'll be in for a treat."
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id...ontinue-career
Victor Ortiz determined to carry on
Craig Bennett/Hoganphotos/Golden Boy
Even with his acting career gaining steam, Victor Ortiz hasn't given up on his dreams in the ring.
Former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz has been knocked out three times in a row. He suffered a badly broken jaw in one of those fights, an injury that was one of the main reasons for a 19-month layoff.
He has not won a fight since his April 2011 barn burner against Andre Berto, from whom Ortiz won a welterweight world title, only to lose it by memorable (and mildly controversial) knockout in his first defense against Floyd Mayweather Jr. later that year.
Ortiz, 27, could pursue more work in Hollywood -- he has been a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" and had a starring role in the movie "The Expendables 3" -- but said he's determined to continue boxing, even in the wake of a surprising second-round knockout to former titlist Luis Collazo in January. It was a loss that many thought was the end, or at least should be the end, of Ortiz's boxing career.
But Ortiz is carrying on, even if he is no longer the star of the show, or even close. He needs to work his way back to that place, if that's possible.
So Ortiz (29-5-2, 22 KOs) will be far down the card and an afterthought to many when he faces 30-year-old journeyman Manuel Perez (21-10-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round fight on Dec. 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While welterweights Devon Alexander and Amir Khan battle it out in the main event of a quadrupleheader on Showtime (9 p.m. ET), Ortiz's fight won't even make the main broadcast. He will appear on the Showtime Extreme (7 p.m. ET/PT) coverage of preliminaries.
Victor Ortiz hasn't been victorious since his 2011 all-action win against Andre Berto.
Still, Ortiz has a positive outlook on his career.
"I never lost any confidence in myself," Ortiz said at a media workout Tuesday at Del Mares Gym in Bell Gardens, California. "I took a little detour. I went off into a different world [Hollywood] and was quite successful at it. But at this point in time I want my world back. And that's boxing.
"Do I have to box? Absolutely not. I have been told by a lot of people to hang it up, but I make my own decisions and, at the end of the day, I am going to keep boxing. It is what I love to do. One important thing that was brought up was that I don't have to box ever again because of my movies. That's true. I don't have to box again. But that's not where I stand.
"I want to be one of the greats. I want to be the pound-for-pound king, and I know what it takes to get there. At this point in time I have put two films aside just to fight, and I'll be back in the ring to show you what I've been working on."
A resident of Ventura, California, Ortiz is working with a new trainer, Joel Diaz, who replaced Danny Smith. But longtime assistant Joseph "Hoss" Janik is still part of the team.
"I have been in training camp for the last 12 weeks now," Ortiz said. "There are some changes, but I have an open mind to whatever coach Joel Diaz has to say. I am not fond of the place or the spot [Indio, California], but it's training camp. I think in the next couple weeks we will see what I have been up to.
"I never left [the welterweight division]. It is still as deep and talented a weight class as it has ever been. You have great fighters, from the guys that I have been beaten by -- [Josesito] Lopez, [Marcos] Maidana, Mayweather. They are hot themselves, so I am just here once again to box. I'm going to be world champion again."
Although Perez, a Denver resident, is not in the same league as Ortiz's opponents of the past several years, Ortiz said he is not about to go looking for a knockout.
"That's pretty dangerous. We saw the last fight [against Collazo], it is what it is," Ortiz said. "I will go round by round and see how it goes."
Janik said the change of head trainers and training in a new spot have been good for Ortiz.
"I think the move to Indio was good; it was good location-wise and timing-wise," Janik said. "He needed a fresh start because of the stumbles we have had recently. Joel wanted to stay in Indio. Joel is a trainer who uses a lot of positive reinforcement, doesn't dwell on the negatives. He has been bringing out a lot of stuff Victor has done well in the past, putting combinations together.
"I think we may see a little of the old Victor Ortiz. At this point in his career, there isn't much new stuff you can teach him, but you can look back at the past and see what he did well. Talent-wise, physical ability-wise, he has everything that it takes. What I think doesn't matter, what he thinks doesn't matter. All that matters is what he does in the ring and if he performs up to his abilities and puts everything together on that given night. Then we'll be in for a treat."
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id...ontinue-career
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