Victor Ortiz was initially criticized for quitting after the 9th round of his fight with Josesito Lopez last Saturday, but it turns out he fought through a lot more than people realize.
Ortiz’s manager told ESPN’s Dan Rafael that the fighter had his jaw fractured in two places. The first fracture was suffered in the fifth round, but Ortiz fought four more rounds with it that way. In the 9th, he got tagged on a left hook and ended up quitting after the round, telling his corner and the referee that his jaw was broken.
Doctors later saw that Ortiz had internal bleeding, which is part of why he was gagging on the thickness of his blood.
Ortiz’s mouth will be wired shut for the next two weeks, and he’s expected to need six weeks to recover. He apparently wrote a note to his manager expressing his desire to face Lopez in a rematch.
The 25-year-old was ahead of Lopez on all the judges’ cards at the time he said he couldn’t continue.
Between quitting against Marcos Maidana, headbutting Floyd Mayweather, rabbit-punching Lopez, and quitting on Saturday, Ortiz has taken a beating from boxing fans. I don’t blame him for deciding he couldn’t continue against Lopez; Only he knows how bad of a condition he was in, and if he wanted to preserve his health rather than continue to risk his well-being, it’s a decision that I respect.
