Jamaine Ortiz hated the thought of making weight. Well, practically every fighter does but making the lightweight limit became too arduous. After coming up just short against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Ortiz failed to come in at 135 pounds for his next outing, forcing him to have a catchweight bout against Antonio Moran.

From there, it only made sense for Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) to head on over to the super lightweight division. For his debut, the 27-year-old wanted a meaningful fight, someone who brought both star power and a world title to the table. Teofimo Lopez was the perfect dance partner. He’s flamboyant, talkative, and has the sort of skills that you simply can’t teach.

Officially, the two will jump in the ring and attempt to rip each other’s heads off come February 8th. For Lopez, he’s built his career on the backs of great fighters. In 2020, Lomachenko was considered by most as the best fighter on the planet. Lopez though, found that notion laughable.

Although there weren’t many calling him out, Lopez loudly banged on Lomachenko’s door. Once it flung open, Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) proved that he wasn’t all talk, winning a close decision. Fast forward a few years later and Lopez did it again, this time against Josh Taylor.

In the case of Ortiz, he isn’t quite used to the bright lights. While he did take on two former world champions in Lomachenko and Jamel Herring, a matchup with Lopez brings him to an entirely different stage.

Lopez, 26, has something that Ortiz wants. Since turning pro in 2016, Ortiz was always of the belief that he’d eventually climb the ladder and strap a title to his waist. With his showdown against Lopez taking place in just over a month, Ortiz believes that everything is finally falling into place.

“This is the most important fight,” Ortiz told MillCity Boxing. “I’m ready to be world champion.”