Star Power: Mayweather vs Ortiz

Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz

Photo courtesy of HBO Boxing and Will Hart

By Randy De La O

Victor Ortiz. will be defending his WBC Welterweight title this Saturday, September 17, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Floyd Mayweather Jr..The fight will be shown on HBO PPV.

I would like to see Ortiz win this one but I'm not entirely sure he can. He looked good against Andre Berto in his last fight, and while Berto is a decent enough fighter and was/is considered one of the up and coming stars of this generation, he is not Floyd Mayweather Jr, not by a long shot. Logic and Common sense says that if he couldn't handle Marcos Maidana he won't be able to handle Mayweather. Still, there has to be a part of Ortiz that has vowed to himself, regardless of circumstances or opponent, that he will never again quit. That's just speculation on my part but it's one that makes sense. However he did it, Ortiz has positioned himself for a fight with one of the two best pound for pound fighters in the world. He has a huge mountain to climb. The time for talk is over.

 Mayweather on the other hand, regardless of what you or I might think of him, has yet to be beaten and has yet to show signs of aging. I don't think Ortiz will have anything new to show him. Mayweather has seen it all before. However, he has not been without some close calls. His first win against Jose Luis Castillo was considered somewhat of a robbery but he did removed all doubt in the second fight. He earned a split decision in his 2007 fight against a tired and aging Ocar De La Hoya. During that fight Oscar had some great moments but just could not sustain it. When Oscar used his jab he had his way with Mayweather. That may just be the blueprint for beating him, that and a truckload of intestinal fortitude.

 My hope for tomorrow night? That Victor Ortiz reaches deep inside of himself and finds it within himself, win, lose or draw, to produce the fight of his life. I'd like to see the kid redeem himself.

HBO: Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana

Erik Morales

Marcos Maidana

Erik Morales vs Marcos Maidana

Fight Preview

Erik Morales vs Marcos Maidana

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada

Interim WBA Junior Light Welterweight Title

Golden boy Promotions

HBO Boxing

April 9, 2011

By Randy De La O

Erik Morales of Mexico, was one of the most exciting fighters of his era and certainly ranked high on anyone's pound for pound list but it has been a while. Morales is three for three in his comeback that began last year with a win over Jose Alfaro in March of 2010,  winning a 12 round unanimous decision. He followed up with two more wins;  stopping Willie Limond in September and a unanimous decision win in December over Francisco Lorenzo. Mediocre opponents at best but a good starting point for an aging former champion. Still, it's hard to tell how much Morales has left in the tank.

Morales, one half of one of boxing's greatest trilogy, Marco Antonio Barrera being the other half, was as exciting as it gets. His big heart and reputation for throwing caution to the wind made him a crowd pleaser and a fan favorite. Nearing the end of his career he beat Manny Pacquiao in their first fight but lost the last two, getting stopped in both fights.

Morales fought the best fighters of his era, including; Daniel Zaragoza,  Wayne McCullough, Kevin Kelly, Junior Jones, Paulie Ayala, Hector Acero Sanchez, Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez. His last fight before retiring was a losing effort, in 1997, against WBC Lightweight champion David Diaz of Chicago (Diaz would lose the title to Manny Pacquiao the following year). The only fighter missing from his resume is the great Juan Manuel Marquez. I don't know why that fight never happened.

Argentinian boxer Marcos Maidana, at 27 and seven years younger than Morales, appears to be at his peak right now. Maidana is coming off a close and exciting loss to Amir Khan last December. Like Erik Morales, and like every other Argentinian fighter that I have ever seen,  there is no shortage of courage and heart in this fighter. He proved that in his fight last year with Victor Ortiz, coming back after being knocked down three times in the fight and getting the worst of it before taking control of the fight and severely testing Ortiz' resolve as a fighter, forcing him to quit in the 6th round. Over all, Maidana has not fought the same quality of fighters that Morales has fought.

Morales will certainly have his hands full this Saturday night when they square off at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the WBA Interim Junior Welterweight Championship. My heart will be pulling for Erik Morales. While I would have rather seen him stay in retirement, he has chosen to fight again and I'm hoping to see him beat the odds. It will be an uphill battle for him.

Related articles

• Morales Vs. Maidana: Who Will Succeed on April 9th? (bleacherreport.com)

A Night at the Fights for my Daughter and Friends

Meranda De La O and Oscar De La Hoya

A few weeks ago my daughter Meranda won some tickets to the Juan Manuel Marquez vs Michael Katsidis fight on the 27th of last month, via a contest on Twitter (Marquez won by a 9th round KO). Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions gave Meranda the VIP treatment. My daughter and her gal pals as well as the husband of one of her friends were all given good seats, and my daughter got to spend some time with Oscar and attend the post fight press conference. They all had a great time. These are a few of the photos she took. My thanks to Golden Boy  Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya for being a true gentleman with my daughter.

Meranda (center) and friends

Oscar De La Hoya

Marquez and Katsidis moments before the fight
was stopped by Referee Kenny Bayless

Marquez speaking at the post fight press confrence

Andre Berto at the post fight conference.
Berto stopped Freddy Hernandez in the 1st round