With back to back losses to Floyd Mayweather and Josesito Lopez, Victor Ortiz and former trainer Danny Garcia have parted ways. Ortiz, still recovering from jaw surgery and without a trainer, is undoubtedly a talented young fighter offensively, but his lack of mental toughness and inability to protect himself from big shots has his boxing career moving the wrong direction. After breaking his jaw this past June to Josesito Lopez, many critics feel Ortiz may be on his way out. They are wrong; there is still too much money out there to be made for the match makers and Ortiz.
Like him or not, Ortiz has become a popular fighter. People will watch him fight because he is exciting. Imagine if he could learn how to keep his damn hands up. Maybe then his fans and critics could see the potential of his talent, and subsequently see him win fights he should win. Ortiz, who at welterweight may be more of a junior middleweight, should have easily got Lopez out of there in June. Unfortunately, the smaller Lopez (as have other fighters) hit Ortiz at will and literally busted his face up.
That said, Golden Boy Founder Oscar De La Hoya has reportedly requested Floyd Mayweather Sr. to work Ortiz’ corner to help with his defensive shortcomings. If the money is right, Mayweather Sr. would definitely take a stab at it. Whether it would be successful or not is questionable. It did not help Oscar De La Hoya in the past when all said and done, but if anyone can help Ortiz improve his defense in the ring, it is the boisterous Mayweather Sr. Unfortunately, as usually happens with fighters, once the cards are down, it is likely Ortiz will revert back to his old style. Sure it will be exciting and remarkable as Ortiz fights always are, but when adversity strikes it is more than likely his hands will fall and his brain will get in the way. You just never know what you are going to get with him.
Fortunately, Ortiz is still very young at 25 which is when a lot of young men start to mature mentally and gain more control of their impulses. If he can get his self-destructive thoughts and impulses under control in the ring, with an improved defensive game, his potential is scary. I still would not take a bet against a meltdown in a prize fight with Ortiz, no matter who is in his corner, but I am going to watch and ultimately I am pulling for him. Only time will tell what’s in store for Ortiz, his jaw, and his corner; but I hope things work out for the young fighter. Ortiz + Mayweather Sr. = Interesting. Let’s wait and see what happens.