On Tuesday it was officially announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would return to the ring for the first time since beating Shane Mosley 13 months ago. Mayweather’s fight on September 17th will be against Victor Ortiz, which is what LBS reported exactly one month ago. Mayweather was in attendance ringside for Ortiz’s impressive win over Andre Berto, so by taking the fight it’s assumed Mayweather feels comfortable he can beat Victor. As for Victor, count him as unimpressed by Mayweather.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve said I’ll be the first to defeat Mayweather,” Ortiz said in his first public comments since the fight was announced. “Mayweather’s quick, he’s a great fighter, but I’ve never been that impressed with his style.”
If he’s not that impressed with his style, he should be impressed by Floyd’s perfect 41-0 record. Even though I believe Mayweather is the best fighter in the world when he’s dedicating himself to his craft, I think this is a dangerous fight for him. First off, it’s pretty evident Ortiz won’t be laying down in this fight — he wants to win it badly. Secondly, Ortiz is a southpaw which always makes things somewhat confusing for fighters with an orthodox stance. Floyd hasn’t faced a southpaw since beating Zab Judah and Sharmba Mitchell in back-to-back fights in 2006 and 2005, so that can get tricky.
Most importantly, if Ortiz fights as possessed as he looked against Berto, it will give Mayweather problems. Ortiz was knocked down twice by Berto and he’s lost two fights in his short career, so it’s not like he’s invincible, but he has that quirky personality of being crazy enough in the ring to look scary. I think Mayweather will win the fight, but it’s a dangerous one, and certainly more dangerous than the past three opponents Manny Pacquiao has fought.
