Ortiz, Morales and Alvarez by Knockout

In an intriguing move Golden Promotions in association with Mayweather Promotions will make history tomorrow Sept. 17 when presenting HBO PPV’s split-site telecast of “STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz,” headlined by Las Vegas’ 34-year-old undefeated two-time Fighter of the Year and five-division world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather (41-0, 25KOs) taking on Oxnard’s 24-year-old WBC Welterweight Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22KOs), in the 12 round championship main event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The co-feature will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California showcasing the talents of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s 21-year-old light middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (37-0-1, 27KOs) as he battles California’s [by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico] 30-year-old Alfonso Gomez (23-4-2, 12KOs), in a scheduled 12 rounds of action for “Canelo’s” WBC Light Middleweight strap.

Also on the PPV telecast will be Tijuana’s 35-year-old three-division world champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales (51-7, 35KOs) as he looks to become the first ever Mexican four-division world champion by taking out undefeated 21-year-old baby faced Pablo “El Demoledor” Cesar Cano (22-0-1, 17KOs), of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, in a light welterweight 12 for the vacant WBC Light Welterweight Championship from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas supporting Mayweather-Ortiz.

Rounding out the card and telecast are two potential future stars in the boxing game in 22-year-old Mayweather Promotions boxer Jessie Vargas (16-0, 9KOs), of Las Vegas, as he goes up against Riverside, California’s 27-year-old Josesito Lopez (29-3, 17KOs), in a lightweight 10. This in an intriguing battle of two young guns on the precipice of boxing stardom with much to lose as this pair match-up pretty evenly and promise to start the HBO PPV telecast from the MGM with a bang.

For just under two months now the MyBoxingFans staff has been engaged in a heated prediction contest going back to the Amir Khan-Zab Judah junior welterweight unification bout and concludes tomorrow night with the Mayweather-Ortiz, Morales-Cano and Alvarez-Gomez trio of confrontation’s. Hitherto are the standings with yours truly and fellow writer Felipe Leon atop the heap in a close affair.

1. Esteban: 6-0 (+2)
2. Felipe: 6-0 (+1)
3. Michele: 5-1 (+5)
4. Gabreal: 5-1 (+3)
5. James: 5-1 (+2) (tied)
6. Edgar: 5-1 (+2) (tied)
7. Rob: 4-2 (+3)

Here are the prediction’s for this weekend’s three bouts as the MBF staff bid to be the inaugural title bearer with bragging rights to MyBoxingFans Crystal Ball.

Felipe:
Mayweather UD
Alvarez KO 8
Morales KO 6

Esteban:
Ortiz KO 5
Alvarez KO 8
Morales KO 9

James:
Mayweather UD
Alvarez KO 5-6
Morales MD

Edgar:
Mayweather UD
Alvarez KO 9-11
Morales UD

Rob:
Mayweather KO 10
Alvarez KO 8
Morales KO 6

Going into the finale essentially tied with Felipe as he picks the self proclaimed Worlds Best Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather to lift “Vicious” Victor’s World Boxing Council welterweight title, while I tab Victor to send Floyd into unconsciousness in the 5th round, I’m putting the MBF strap on the line picking the Mexican/American southpaw to shock the world. Felipe and I both picked “Canelo” and “Terrible” Morales by KO so if first place comes down to Felipe and I, it will all come down to Ortiz-Mayweather.

I’m sure everyone at home is shaking their heads thinking the young and green Ortiz is not the man to bet the house on and I can understand that viewpoint. Nonetheless I will give you a few reason’s why I’m going with the young strong lion to shock the wise old one.

First and foremost father time knocks em’ all out and it will be the same for “Pretty Boy” Floyd come Saturday, and if not Saturday, a date to be later determined as he is now 34-years-old and has only fought twice in the last three and a half years. Muhammad Ali couldn’t stop it, Roy Jones Jr. couldn’t stop it and not even the great Sugar Ray Robinson could defend against the ticking clock. Up to this point in time there’s only one man [a man who may not even be human] whose giving father time every thing it can handle and that’s the enigma known as Benard “The Executioner” Hopkins. Unfortunately someday father time will too be standing over B-Hop as his body betrays him for the 10 count and he takes his seat as one of the best fighters of all times.

Ortiz is a decade younger at 24 and is bigger and stronger than Mayweather. I agree with others that believe “Vicious” Victor was weakening himself to make junior welterweight and that he is a natural welterweight who punches with even more power at 147. I also think Ortiz’s stamina as well as reflexes are improved as the WBC Welterweight Champion.

Although Victor has been close to being knocked out he’s never been finished and has a durable chin, he always gets up. Therefore I think his whiskers can withstand “Money’s” power to repeatedly rise from the ashes.

While Floyd’s chin is battle tested as well, he’s older now with reflexes that aren’t as efficient as they used to be and he’s shown he can be hit against southpaws. “Chop Chop” Corley gave Jr. all kinds of problems momentarily rocking Floyd and “Super” Judah was out boxing Floyd and hitting him with good shots throughout the first half of their meeting. Ortiz will be the hardest hitting lefty [Judah’s debatable] Floyd’s ever faced and the young lion pushes the pace as if he was just caged. The straight lefts and rights hooks will be flying and if the eroded skills of Mosley can land cleanly on the now flat-footed fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., then so can Victor’s always improving skills. And if Victor rocks Floyd which I suspect will be the case for both men, Ortiz won’t sit back like a deer in the headlights ala Mosley, he’ll start dropping B’s and either Floyd or him will be meeting the canvas short thereafter. As I said earlier I believe Victor can arise as from the mat as many times as he needs to while possessing the power to see to it that “Money” May stays caved into the canvas.

Ortiz has been fighting regularly and was in the trenches a few times. He’s prepared for all the grueling aspects of warfare like taking fire, fatigue, fear and knowing he has the heart to overcome these in-ring demons in order to realize victory.

Mayweather on the other hand hasn’t been fighting and the last time we saw Floyd he wasn’t the same fighter he was at junior lightweight and lightweight in years past. He’s not bobbin-n-weavin while dancing about the canvas easily making his foe’s miss while he light’s them up from the outside. Floyd has become a flat-footed boxer who stands in front of his opponents and makes them miss by the slip of his shoulders and a good guard. Ask Roy Jones Jr. how long you can get by once your legs betray you and your left to rely only on your upper-body reflexes. When I saw Mosley hit Floyd like that I said to myself, “Floyd’s going to get KO’d soon, he can’t get out of the way of punches like he used to.” It’s just going to take a guy with speed and thunder in his hands. Ortiz possesses lightning!

The last thing I’ll say about Floyd is that he’s got way too many distractions outside the ropes. Mayweather’s legality and daddy issues are well documented so I need not remind anybody of those shenanigans but Floyd’s also carrying HBO’s 24/7 reality series which follows the fighters through camp. “Money” May cares about his image and the way he’s portrayed even going out of his way to show you his swagger while putting on display his wealth and material things. While much of that is exactly who Floyd is he also plays to the camera and looks for ways to shock and entertain. Floyd has court-cases, prison, daddy, a guy named Manny, 24/7, entertaining legions of fans or haters and some other guy named Victor Ortiz on his mind.

Ortiz has Floyd on his mind.

Indeed Floyd has many advantages going for himself as well like the fact that he’s Floyd Mayweather Jr., he carries an aura of invincibility that’s hard for many fighters to get past, he’s one of most gifted if not most gifted fighters of all time, he’s on home turf and he’s got more experience and ring knowledge than Victor.

When it’s all said and done though, at this point in time at the age of 34 I trust Floyd’s trying to overcome too much and isn’t as focused as he should be with so much to lose while Victor has all the world to gain.

The dual-site event will get things under way from the MGM Grand in Vegas with Jessie Vargas vs. Josesito Lopez followed by legend Erik Morales vs. Pablo Cesar Cano as the fans from Los Angeles view these four gladiators go to battle on state of the art big screens that will be displayed throughout the Staples Center. The telecast will then switch to L.A.’s Staples Center for Saul Alvarez vs. Alfonso Gomez as the fans in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand view the title fight from their big screens. Then back to the MGM Grand and Las Vegas for the much anticipated finale pitting Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Victor Ortiz.

If you can’t be in the City of Angels, or Sin, on Sept. 17 for an epic night of fisticuffs make sure to order HBO PPV’s “STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz”

The Stars are aligned and ready to capsulate September 17th forever in time!