Following a Lengthy Layoff, Victor Ortiz Promises a Return to Form Beginning with Luis Collazo

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    It’s been nearly two-years since Victor Ortiz ( 29-4-1, 22 knockouts) was last seen in the ring, but to his credit he has managed to remain a talking point. Whether it be his brief stint onĀ Dancing with the StarsĀ or the countless embarrassing photos of himself, Ortiz has managed to drawn attention for everything except his fighting talent lately. Thankfully, Ortiz is hoping to put all of that behind him as he prepares for his return against Luis Collazo (34-5, 17 knockouts) on Jan. 30th.

    Once a highly-touted prospect in the sport, consecutive losses to the like of Floyd Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockouts) and Josesito Lopez (30-6, 18 knockouts) have turned Ortiz into a fighter with a chip on his shoulder. With his corner clearly needing a change in direction, it wasn’t long before speculation ran rampant as to whom Ortiz would call on to coach him. Recently, the always controversial Angel Garcia revealed that he was an early option for Ortiz,but things ultimately fell through before Ortiz ultimately hired trainer Danny Smith and conditioning coach Joseph “Hoss” Janik.

    “At the time I was interviewing many trainers, and Angel has proven to be a great friend and great trainer. Seeing what heā€™s done with Danny (Garcia), my hatā€™s off to him. It just didnā€™t work out because I had so many people that I was interviewing, and at that time Danny was fighting so the camp was busy. My respect and love still goes out to those guys. ”

    With preparations for his bout with Collazo already underway, Ortiz has made it no secret that he is more than willing to campaign between the 147 lbs. and 154 lbs. divisions in the future. This leads to a(n) variety of options in regards to potential match-ups, especially with Ortiz more than willing to face any one. Still, it’s clear that he’s got some opponents in mind, and one of them involves a highly touted Mexican fighter he mockingly refers to as “Cinnamon”.

    “I just think when they made [Saul Alvarez] champ, not when he became champ, when they made him champ he didnā€™t stay grounded to the person he was. We were cool, but why do you have to lose yourself? What you see with me is what you get, Iā€™d come up ā€œHey man, whatā€™s up?ā€ [and Alvarez dismissively answered] ā€œā€™Sup.ā€ I gave him a few chances to calm down, but I just donā€™t respect people like that. Why be fake?ā€

    When asked about a potential match-up against Alvarez, Ortiz’ answer was straight to the point.

    “Absolutely, why not? I already said it, 147 or 154, when Iā€™m back [opponents] are done. Iā€™m hungry, very hungry. ”

    Although a future match-up with Alvarez (42-1-1, 20 knockouts) is one that will have fans talking, it’s a match-up with the victor of this weekend’s Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 knockouts) vs. Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31 knockouts) bout that will have people drooling. In Broner, Ortiz has a chance to face a fighter who up to this point has been tearing through opponents with ease. Against Maidana, Ortiz has a chance to avenge a loss against an opponent he clearly dislikes and largely discredits.

    When tasked with choosing a victor between the two it was clear that the Maidana loss stills resonates with Ortiz.

    “Itā€™s a no brainer, bro. Hands down, Broner. That [fightā€™s] a joke. I mean, what [Maidana] did with me, if you go back and watch the replay of my fight with Maidana, I walked straight into a straight-right. Big deal. I got up, I didnā€™t remember getting up, but I fought him for six rounds like that, on auto-pilot and I was still whoopinā€™ that ass. So, you be the judge, but Broner hands down, no big deal.”

    Even if Maidana loses and erases any allure in a rematch with Ortiz, Ortiz is more than willing to fight Broner in his quest to face and defeat the best fighters in his division.

    “I love Broner. Heā€™s one of my good boys, but [he should] keep it smart and move down or move up. Simple as that. Just a friendly warning.”

    Regardless of who he may face in the future, fans of Victor Ortiz are focused on the outcome of his bout with Collazo. With the loss to Lopez still fresh in many fans’ minds, Ortiz aims to prove that he will return to being the all-action fighter that so many loved when he first burst on to the scene.

    “Just pay attention on January 30th, and youā€™re gonna see my opponents are in trouble.”

     

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