By Rich Mazon, PhilBoxing.com
Mashantucket, Connecticut -- Victor Ortiz has a lot to be thankful for Saturday in the biggest night of his boxing career. There is his coach, Danny Garcia and his entire team, his manager and promoter, his fans and Manny Pacquiao.
The newly crowned W.B.C. welterweight champion thanked the pound for pound king and fellow welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao after his tough fight with Andre Berto here in the Foxwoods MGM. In the post fight interview H.B.O.’s Larry Merchant asked him “Do you want now into the Pacquiao sweepstakes?” Ortiz replied “Yes sir, definitely. I actually talked to Manny Pacquiao earlier and Manny, thank you very much for your advice man, thank you.“
Merchant asked what Pacquiao’s advice was and Ortiz replied “He (Pacquiao) said that I’m more powerful than he is, I’m as quick if not quicker than he is, so I (should) just stick to my game plan and listen to my coaches.“ He ended by thanking Pacquiao as well as his trainer Freddy Roach. The apparent link between the two was lightweight boxer David Rodela. Rodela was a friend of Ortiz and one of Pacquiao’s main sparring partner at the Wild Card gym. “David Rodela had me talked with Manny Pacquiao today. Thank you Manny for your kind words. He is a great guy and nowadays we are in the same weight class,“ he replied when asked about it during the post fight conference where he was in great spirits after being crowned a champion Saturday night here in Connecticut.
“He just told me to stick to the game plan and that I’m a very strong fighter and (I should)just keep going for it. Don’t take anybody’s negativity, so I just did as he said and listened to my coaches and here we are with the green belt,” he added blissfully.
The advice clearly delighted and inspired the young Ortiz who comes in blazing right from the opening bell. He attacked Berto early in the first round as he landed a flurry of punches on the stunned champion. Berto tasted the canvass early with a right hook from Ortiz followed by a set of uppercuts. Ortiz also showed the character that was doubted of him by many when he himself got up from two knockdowns that Berto inflicted on him in the second and the sixth round.
“I wasn’t hurt, it was a flash knockdown,“ he remarked when asked of it. It was an exciting fight that the crowd appreciated for most of the night. It drew cheers and chants of each fighter‘s name as they exchange heatedly in the ring. “I knew that it was going to be a full blown war. As a matter of fact, I pictured my eyes both closed at the end of this fight,“ Ortiz described of the fight.
Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy Promotions acknowledged that Ortiz was “really happy and thrilled when he got that call from Manny Pacquiao. “A simple phone call from a champion that might have added extra motivation for Victor Ortiz to be a champion himself. For in boxing as in life, words of encouragement does help everybody go the extra mile."
Source: philboxing.com
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