Victor Ortiz (29-2-2) is not afraid to take any crap from Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He visibly showed no fear and was surprisingly believable when he said that he wanted to "smack" Floyd during their press conference kicker. The young WBC World Welterweight Champion played the role of young-fighter-overearger-to-prove-that-he-can-beat-a-legend-and-become-the-sport's-next-mainstream-star perfectly. He wasn't mincing words when he declared that he'll fight Manny Paquiao after he beats Mayweather.
His frustration was well justified during the conference because of the slew of questions circling around the potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Questions about how Mayweather (41-0) was going to handle his southpaw style were replaced with questions about whether Mayweather was willing to fight Pacquiao next year. 
Mayweather, on the other hand, was content on playing Rocky Balboa in Rocky VI (or “Rocky Balboa”). He was thankful for the support and sounded at peace while reflecting on his career. I'm not questioning the sincerity of his sudden epiphany, but it's possible it could be just a show of character sympathy given the legal mess he's in right now. If there's one thing we can't knock Mayweather for, it's his willingness to fight a young, hungry champion in his prime. When the news first broke out that he was going to fight Ortiz, the first thought that came to my mind was, “Are you sure he’s fighting Victor Ortiz and not Tito?”
Mayweather wants a challenge and found the right opponent for it. Everybody knows that Mayweather has difficulty fighting southpaws and rugged brawlers -- which Ortiz both is. Ortiz has a vicious right uppercut that can send Floyd sprawling to the canvas. Another advantage he has is youth. Floyd hasn't fought for over a year. Age has slowed him down and it'll take time for him to get his rhythm back. It was apparent in his fight against Mosley that Floyd has lost a step.
But Floyd is still the smartest fighter out there. He'll neutralize Ortiz's power and aggressiveness by taking away the angles. Floyd will keep turning him and by the second half of the bout Ortiz will tire from hitting air. I believe that Mayweather already has a game plan for Ortiz. He didn't pick him as his next opponent for nothing. Mayweather has already seen the holes and knows he can exploit them.
This match is exciting because Ortiz moves in only one direction -- forward. He'll make it a fight in the early rounds much like Ricky Hatton did. But it won't be enough to stop the inevitable – a Mayweather – Pacquiao fight early next year.
Source: 8countnews.com
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