Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez Preview: Start Time, TV Info and Schedule

Josesito Lopez is all that stands in Victor Ortiz's way to another major payday, but he must be careful not to look past Lopez. He hasn't always shown a wealth of maturity, so this situation could be a pitfall for him.

Even though Lopez isn't a big name, there will be a ton at stake when they meet on June 23 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

If Ortiz is indeed successful against Lopez, he has already agreed to fight Saul Alvarez on Sept. 15. Ortiz vs. Alvarez is a potential classic and the type of high-profile bout that can provide each fighter with an opportunity to make a statement. But first things first, Lopez will not give in to Ortiz—he'll have to beat him.

Here are the specifics for what could be a very interesting bout.

Fight Time: 9 p.m. ET; Staples Center, Los Angeles

TV Coverage: Showtime

Preview:

The Book on Ortiz

Ortiz has always had explosive power. He has all the makings of an elite, slugging welterweight, but I have always been troubled by his mental toughness, or lack thereof.

I've seen him fall short in this category against Marcos Rene Maidana in 2009.

Ortiz's eye was damaged in this fight, but in my opinion, he quit. Technically the bout was stopped by the ringside physician in the sixth round, but it was Ortiz's body language and even his post-fight interview that made me question his resolve.

Watch it here:

On one hand, I can understand his thoughts of self-preservation, while on the other, I must say, this is not the mentality of a man with the heart to persevere through adversity in the sport of boxing.

The other instance that jumps out to me is Ortiz's behavior during his bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. It was obvious early on that Ortiz was overmatched. When faced with adversity again, Ortiz began to lunge with headbutts.

The last one opened a cut under Mayweather's lip, and it subsequently led to the controversial "protect yourself at all times" punch from Money that knocked out Ortiz. Take a look at that final sequence:

In this interview, Ortiz speaks "candidly" about the reason for the headbutts. He admits to purposely trying to break Mayweather's nose, but says May started it:

Anyone who saw this fight knows that Ortiz is just trying to cover his tracks with these allegations. The bottom line is, he got frustrated, and he panicked.

Just before the Mayweather bout, Ortiz scored a classic win over Andre Berto. Ortiz got off the canvas to score a thrilling unanimous decision over Berto, and he showed great heart in this fight, plus a side of himself that some of us hadn't seen.

So, which one is the real Ortiz?

Which one will show up on June 23 to take on Lopez?

It needs to be the Ortiz who fought Berto, because Lopez is a gamer, and he will not make it easy for Ortiz.

The Book on Lopez

Physically, Lopez reminds me of Erik Morales, but he has yet to find that type of success in the ring.

For the most part, he likes to fight from the inside, but he isn't a devastating puncher. In his most recent fight, a split-decision loss to Jessie Vargas, Lopez made a solid account of himself, but he was outworked by Vargas early on.

He stunned him in the 12th round, but he didn't have enough to finish him off. Take a look at the highlights here:

Lopez comes into the fight 29-4 with 17 KOs, but stylistically, he is made to order for Ortiz. Lopez doesn't move his head enough, carries his guard too wide and his eagerness to trade may be a bad idea against Ortiz.

Ortiz has close to the show power, and though Lopez has a fantastic chin, Ortiz's beard is pretty strong as well. Lopez does not have the punching power that Ortiz possesses,—few in this weight region do—so this makes Lopez's natural tendencies work against him.

He does have a chance to defeat Ortiz. Lopez must try to discourage Ortiz early; if he can get into Ortiz's head, I still believe that self-doubt will cause him to unravel. At that point, a fighter like Lopez can seize the opportunity.

If Lopez can curtail an early charge from Ortiz, he has a shot to upset him and ruin his fall plans.

Prediction:

Despite Lopez's toughness and Ortiz's weaknesses, I'm still picking Ortiz to win by TKO.

If Lopez was just a bit more inclined to use his boxing ability, I'd give him more of a shot, but I've genuinely only seen him fight one way. He'll try to bang with Ortiz, and that won't work out for him.

I wouldn't be totally shocked to see Lopez stop Ortiz. It would be totally feasible to see this happen in some sort of peculiar events that make us question the continuance of Ortiz's career.

But barring that sort of thing, my prediction is a seventh-round TKO.

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