By SANTOS A. PEREZ, Miami Herald
Elite fighters often encounter their “aged-in-one-fight” moment. A fighter’s seemingly invincible reputation is shattered with one subpar performance, and the result is an onset of declining skills.
The inverse scenario is the young fighter eager for a break-out opportunity. Victor Ortiz had his “coming-of-age” match with his hard-fought victory over Miami native Andre Berto on April 16.
Not only was he involved in one in one of the best fights of the year, but also Ortiz won a sanctioning-body welterweight title, ending Berto’s reign after five fights.
And the reward for Ortiz’s performance just got sweeter. Ortiz, 24, will cross the threshold into pay-per-view matches after last week’s announcement that he will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.
The fight, for Ortiz’s World Boxing Council welterweight crown, will be Mayweather’s first since his lopsided decision over in May 2010.
“I’m a strong fighter, and I have worked really hard to silence my critics,” Ortiz said in a statement. “I’m a world champion for a reason, and I am not going to let go of my title any time soon.”
Ortiz hit an early career setback with his sixth-round technical knockout loss to junior-welterweight contender Marcos Maidana in June 2009. The critics surfaced when they considered Ortiz indifferent when he reflected on his performance against Maidana during a postfight interview.
Ortiz overcame the loss to Maidana with four consecutive wins in 2009 and 2010. Two of Ortiz’s victories were over former world champions Nate Campbell and Vivian Harris.
Although a draw against Lamont Peterson in December might have set him back in the title-fight chase, Ortiz nonetheless earned a shot against Berto and more than capitalized on his opportunity.
The fight public continues to clamor for a Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao bout. But with two failed attempts at making the fight, Mayweather and Pacquiao have used their pay-per-view dates on opponents such as Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.
Now it is Ortiz’s turn. Thanks to his victory over Berto, Ortiz has cashed a significant chip that involves him in the marquee matchup with Mayweather.
Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame welcomed one of its most high-profile classes in years with Sunday’s induction of former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, three-division world champion Julio Cesar Chavez and junior-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu.
Tyson’s knockout power made him the sport’s youngest heavyweight world champion with his two-round flattening of Trevor Berbick in 1986.
His continued dominance through the late 1980s, and his combustive personality later in his career made Tyson one of the most recognizable athletes of the past 25 years.
Chavez now is considered as arguably the best fighter born in Mexico. His 115-fight career was highlighted by world titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight divisions.
Russia-born Tszyu became the first fighter from the former Soviet bloc of Eastern European nations to reach professional boxing superstardom. Tszyu enjoyed a five-year run as junior-welterweight champion in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
Tyson, Chavez and Tszyu were inducted in their first years of eligibility.
Other inductees in the 2011 class include trainer Ignacio Beristain, referee Joe Cortez and actor-screenwriter Sylvester Stallone, whose six Rocky movies the past 35 years have kept boxing a popular sports theme in film.
Obituary
Genaro Hernandez, a two-time super-featherweight world champion in the 1990s, died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a two-year battle with cancer. Hernandez was 45.
Recognized as one of boxing’s good guys, Hernandez retired in 1998 after losing his title against Mayweather. Hernandez, who finished his career with a 38-2-1 record and 17 knockouts, worked as a TV analyst and for promoter Bob Arum after he retired as a fighter.
sperez@MiamiHerald.com
Source: miamiherald.com
