Spike TV is all about combat sports. They are involved with MMA and its Bellator Series and now boxing with Premier Championship Boxing. So every now and then, there’s cross promotion. So it was no surprise when the cameras went around the ring and there were MMA stars in attendance. Tito Ortiz is one of those stars who is now with Bellator. Ortiz was a superstar in the UFC Promotions and has been around the game for over 17 years. But like many stars of the sport, Ortiz is a fan of boxing as well
“I’ve always been a boxing fan,” Ortiz told ThaBoxingVoice.com. “With (Andre) Berto I watched him go through his career. I watched Chris Arreola as well. It’s good to see that they’ve put on a good show. It’s good to see that there are boxing fans with 9,000 people out there. MMA is still growing but boxing is still here, it’s not going anywhere. But I think Spike reinventing the whole channel and getting boxing friendly and MMA friendly. They’re giving fans what they want.”
PBC has made a splash thus far on network television scoring high ratings on NBC and putting on one of the better cards in terms of action in 2015 on Spike TV. There are plenty of critics around the series and a lot of the critique comes with the ring walks. Ortiz likes what he saw but hope PBC improves on it to make it a spectacle.
“It looked really good,” Ortiz said of the walkouts. “They should be walking straight down the middle. Maybe they’ll fix it up because they got to look good in the arena and on live television. I’d had some of the greatest walkouts ever. It’s always been my thing to have some of the greatest walkout into fights, Last time out I had the American and Mexican flag drop as I walked out. It was amazing.
Like plenty of boxing fans, Ortiz is ready for Mayweather-Pacquiao on May 2nd. While he respects both fighters, He gives the slight edge to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“Mayweather-Pacquiao, its biggest fight in history,” explained Ortiz. “Mayweather is just a little more slicker, Mayweather is a lot faster, and he’s fresher . He’s never been knocked out unconscious, and that takes a toll on a fighter. I think Mayweather will pull it off by decision.”
