The Crazy World of Vic Ortiz

Victor Ortiz had himself another fight this weekend and did some pretty Victor like things.

The fight seemed to be going his way, despite being penalized for trying to bludgeon Josesito Lopez's brainstem while he was down. Then, in a way that must have made Money Mayweather smile, Lopez broke Ortiz's jaw in two places leaving Ortiz unable to close his mouth or even stop the river of blood that spewed forth from it. Ortiz ended the fight by quitting on the stool.

On the surface, it seems like Ortiz pulled a coward's move. Then you look at his jaw and the forgiveness sets in. Had Ortiz not caved in to Chino Maidana I doubt that this would be seen in such as harsh light.

It does make you wonder what exactly to make of Ortiz. Sure he's quit on the stool twice. But when he's in the ring he seems to have no trouble with getting hit repeatedly. The popular consensus on the web today is that Ortiz is just nuts and that may be true. His propensity for violence and uncontrolled rage in the ring are striking, especially when compared to his Spicolli-esque, laid back attitude out of the ring.

I think most people are over-thinking the subject. I think Ortiz is just as nuts as any other fighter but not any more so. Maybe less so given his ability to accurately judge what the end result of the Maidana fight would be (him going blind) and acting accordingly. He has two problems that amplify each other. The first one is that he doesn't know how not to get hit. Lopez, drilled him repeatedly with power shots as did Mayweather before him, and Berto before him, and Maidana before him. His second, and more troubling issue is that his only response to adversity is escalating violence. Hit him hard and he tries to hit you harder, if he can't and you keep hitting him he starts to go a little nuts out of frustration and begins rabbit punching, wild hooks and if none of that works he'll just try and break your jaw with the top of his head.

He's not totally unlike another ring-nut, Andrew Golota. Both of them are fighters who have no ability to adjust and reattack in the face of adversity. They both only know how to escalate what they are already trying until it reaches its predictably ridiculous apex. It's tempting to classify Golota as a more dirty fighter but punching a guy in the nuts repeatedly is probably less dangerous than flying headbutts and vicious hits to the back of the head.

I suspect that if Ortiz fought Lopez 10 times he would win 9 of them and the discussed rematch will probably go Ortiz's way. That won't change the fact that he's just an incomplete fighter right now. I don't think the coward label will stick to him just because the Berto fight was so brutal and his jaw was broken so badly against Lopez that it doesn't compare to the Maidana fight. If he doesn't defend any better or learn how to set up combinations though, Ortiz will always be a victim of his own limitations and frustrations which will no doubt lead to more and more bizarre incidents.

Buster Douglas or Just Another Buster?

I really would like to find a way to justify believing that Victor Ortiz can beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. this Saturday.

The odds are against it, 7-1 last time I checked, and the styles don't seem to add up to a good fight for Ortiz.

Ortiz isn't near as fast as recent Mayweather conquests Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez or Oscar De la Hoya. By all accounts he isn't a great tactical fighter. What he does have going for him is that he's young and can destroy people in the ring, provided he can corner them and get off before they escape his reach.

Sadly, by fighting style alone he would remind you of a younger Ricky Hatton, who was obliterated by Mayweather in 2007.

So what can I latch on to for hope? First of all Mayweather is getting old. 34 years old and 41 fights can take a lot out of a fighter. Probably doesn't matter here though. Second, as decorated as Floyd is he doesn't have one shot KO power. Most of his fights last a long time unless you happen to be Angel Manfredy. In the last 5 years he hasn't ended a fight in less than 10 rounds. It stands to reason that if Andre Berto couldn't knockout Ortiz with those shots then Mayweather can't either. That gives Ortiz enough time to put in some work and maybe unload one perfect shot.

Maybe more importantly, Ortiz is fueled by shame. And shame can be a powerful motivator.

By an reasonable account somebody should have thrown in the towel for Ortiz in that Maidana fight. He was getting crushed and could've been hurt. By quitting though he branded himself as weak of both body and mind. That would've been the end of most fighters but Ortiz has battled back to win the belt and survived another brutal fight against Berto. It makes you wonder of Ortiz is just fueled by a desire to redeem himself that's greater than Mayweather's desire for more money.

Short of some combination of pure grit and the perfect punch though I fear we have to endure more of the Mayweather reign at the top. More sizzle, less steak and more excuses to dodge Pacquiao until their both so old no one cares.