Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz: 5 Reasons Why Floyd Will Prevail

If you follow HBO’s Boxing Drama “24/7” you’ve seen how different of lives Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz lead.

Ortiz lives and trains in Ventura, California and appears to be a humble young man. Ortiz doesn’t boast about his riches or wear flashy clothes or expensive jewelry. There is no huge entourage of people to tend to his every need and it is a tumultuous upbringing that motivates him to be the best fighter he can be. Ortiz recognizes that his fight with Floyd Mayweather is the biggest opportunity of his life.

Floyd Mayweather is anything but modest. His braggadocios’ style has earned him a legion of fans and an equal number of detractors. The life he leads is one of glitz and glamour. The only thing that may be more impressive than Mayweather’s line of luxury vehicles, expensive jewelry and lavish household are the skills he displays as a professional prize fighter.

It is these pugilistic skills that have earned Floyd more money than he could have ever imagined and also why many regard him as the best fighter of his generation.

Saturday, September 17 is the biggest fight of young Victor Ortiz’s career but for Floyd Mayweather it is just the 42^nd fight in his Hall of Fame career. Floyd proudly boasted to Max Kellerman that “I’m fittin’ to go in there and destroy this kid.”

Here are five reasons why I agree with him.

5. Mayweather's Elite Conditioning

Part of what makes Mayweather the best fighter in the world is less about God given talent and more about his desire to push his body beyond the limits for maximum results. He has a team of guys in place to ensure he stays sharp and to help push him when he needs it most. His uncle, Roger Mayweather, has been the man in his corner for most of his career and he works day and night to keep the younger Mayweather at his best.

Unlike many other boxers who let their bodies go between fights and take several weeks just to adjust to the demand of training camp, Mayweather stays in peak condition year round.

At 34 years old, Mayweather has taken limited damage in his career and his elite level conditioning that will make the 10 year age gap between him and Ortiz insignificant.

4. Victor Ortiz Is Overrated

There is no denying that Ortiz is one of the top welterweights in the world and also one of the sport’s rising stars. He proved his mettle after a sensational 12 round war with the previously undefeated Andre Berto.

Prior to his victory over Berto his fight history wasn't much to brag about. He fought to a disputed draw with Lamont Peterson and won fights against Vivian Harris, Nate Campbell, Hector Alatorre and Antonio Diaz before that. Ortiz earned only one stoppage in those fights and that was against the overmatched Alatorre.

Outside of Nate Campbell, who at 38 years old is past his prime, none of the other above mentioned names immediately jumps out at you. One could argue that names like: Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Marcos Maidana, Timothy Bradley and even Shane Mosley are far more suitable opponents than Ortiz.

In fighting Mayweather, Ortiz will get his chance to show he wasn’t just a one trick pony who got lucky in a fight with an overconfident Berto.  

3. Floyd Mayweather's Defense

Mayweather is generally regarded as the best defender in the sport. He rarely gets hit flush, if at all, and his modified shell defense gives opponents a very slim area to land shots.

Many boxers have tried and failed to beat him by applying pressure and coming straight on and attacking. Look no further than the Ricky Hatton fight to see how bad of an idea that is.

Other fighters have tried to sit and wait and trade punches in the middle of the ring with him. Ask Zab Judah and Shane Mosley how that strategy works?

Ortiz’s hand speed rivals that of Judah and Mosley and he has crushing power for a welterweight. However, hitting Mayweather is not the challenge. Many fighters have landed one or two big shots in fights against him but no one has been able to provide a sustained attack for twelve full rounds.

We’ll see if Ortiz is capable of landing meaningful punches for an entire fight against Mayweather. 

2. What's Changed for Floyd Mayweather

Most boxing experts would agree that there is only one way for Ortiz to beat Mayweather and that is to stop him. It would seem highly unlikely that Ortiz could outbox Mayweather and earn a victory via decision. That said how does Ortiz solve the rubric’s cube that is Floyd Mayweather?

Is there any logical reason to believe that Ortiz and company have found a chink in Mayweather’s seemingly infallible armor?

Mayweather has not fought for 16 months since a self imposed retirement. Yet everything that has made him one of the top fighters on the planet over the last decade remains intact. He still possesses some of the quickest hands and best footwork in the sport. He is still in elite condition and most noteworthy, he brings in the same core group of trainers and advisors who have helped take him this far.  

Anyone who is expecting Ortiz to be able to come in and feast on an older fighter the way Oscar De La Hoya suggested he could is in for a rude awakening. Should Ortiz put the first blemish on Mayweather’s record it will be because he is the better fighter.

1. Victor Ortiz Will

This might seem like an unfair attack but it must linger in the back of every fight fans and more than likely Ortiz mind as well.

It was just 26 months ago that Ortiz committed one of boxing’s ultimate sins by quitting in a fight he could have continued in. Now to his credit Ortiz has never again shown the mental weakness that he displayed that night at Staples Center. He was floored more than once last April, in his fight with Andre Berto and rose to drop him and win the fight. However Berto is no Mayweather.

Should Mayweather start to pull away and put a few rounds in the bank early, could we see Ortiz fold under the pressure of another big fight? Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez all looked like beaten men prior to the final bell ringing and in Hatton’s case until he was mercifully saved by the referee.

Ortiz promises to put the pressure on Mayweather and hang in there but if the fight starts to go south for him, you have to wonder if at 24 years old, he will rise to the challenge or pack it in for a later date.

And the Winner Is: Floyd Mayweather

This should be an entertaining fight if Victor Ortiz is able to mount a stable attack. If Ortiz is to have any success against Mayweather it must come early in the fight. He must bring the same in your face style that won him the fight with Berto.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Ortiz is able to steal a few early rounds and even buckle Mayweather a time or two. However after a few rounds of testing the waters with Ortiz look for Mayweather to control the distance and pace of the fight. He should then be able to “pot shot” and pick apart Ortiz for the rest of the fight.

Mayweather will cruise to the 42^nd victory of his career by unanimous decision and all the Pacquiao chatter will once again take center stage.