The words of Jamaine Ortiz were drowned out. Although he shouted as loud as he could, those who heard him gave the lightweight contender an incredulous look.

Shakur Stevenson was heavily favored heading into his showdown against Edwin De Los Santos earlier this month.

Winning and becoming the lightweight division's new WBC champ was a guarantee in most people’s minds, but a flawless victory was also expected. Ortiz on the other hand, didn’t believe that for a single second.

If you tuned in waiting for something dramatic to happen, you were supremely disappointed. If you at least figured that Stevenson was going to give you your money’s worth, you were also left shaking your head.

De Los Santos did subtle things in the ring. It wasn’t the most exciting fight in the world but De Los Santos gave Stevenson the sort of issues you seldom see. It may have come as a complete shock to most but if you asked Ortiz, he knew his good friend was going to have a good outing.

“I knew it was gonna be a tough fight for Shakur because Edwin is no slouch,” Ortiz told BoxingScene.com. “He’s a really good fighter.”

De Los Santos can take solace in his performance but Stevenson wants him to take a step back. Although he didn’t reveal too much, he hinted that a bothersome shoulder injury hampered him throughout. Bob Arum, his longtime promoter, said the same.

Ortiz is a bit cynical when it comes to these injury claims. In his opinion, De Los Santos simply fought an impressive fight and should be given full credit for his efforts.

“I don’t know but fighters are always injured. It’s very rare that fighters are 100% in the ring. De Los Santos just didn’t allow him to do what he wanted to do.”