Ortiz Manager Arrellano: “Opportunity
of a lifetime”
Mark E. Ortega
Leave-it-in-the-ring.com
June 7, 2011
With the official announcement that
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be stepping out of a 14 month bout of
inactivity to take on reigning WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz
on September 17th, I caught up with Ortiz manager Rolando
Arrellano this morning to discuss the fight.
“We agreed to any and all
conditions,” stated an elated Arrellano over the phone. “This is
Floyd's promotion, he is the man, he has earned his position. We
didn't care too much about the gloves, the location, just tell us
where and when to show up, it's an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Arrellano was unwilling to go too in
detail about any of the specifics regarding the fight but stated that
the negotiations have taken place over the past two or three weeks
with Team Ortiz accepting the terms at the drop of a hat. And how
could one blame Ortiz when the alternative was likely a mandatory
defense against the unknown Selcuk Aydin instead?'
According to Arrellano, Floyd has been
installed as the number one contender with Aydin being moved to
number two. Arrellano says there were no problems with any of the
terms offered.
“Certain fighters want their
billing,” continued the man who helped Ortiz secure his WBC belt
with his recent win over Andre Berto in a Fight of the Year
candidate, a fight that Mayweather, Jr. was present for ringside.
“It's such a privilege and honor to be considered. Victor is the
new kid on the block, we just won the title against [Andre] Berto.
This fight determines if Victor is the next big money generator in
the sport.”
Arrellano had nothing but positive
things to say about the negotiations.
“We extend the utmost respect to the
Mayweather camp. They understand that they are going after the lion
king. Floyd is 34, Victor is 24. He is also daring to be great in his
first fight in fourteen months against a young, hungry champion.”
It's hard to argue that if a
Mayweather-Pacquiao fight can't come together, then there are few
fighters more deserving of a shot at either than Victor Ortiz. It
wasn't long ago that Ortiz was in the doghouse with diehard boxing
fans after he seemingly quit against Marcos Maidana in his first big
stage experience and then followed it up with bizarre comments in the
postfight interview with HBO. Ortiz looked gunshy in his next big
opportunity against Lamont Peterson, dropping his opponent early but
then letting him off the hook en route to a majority draw.
Ortiz earned high praise for his gutsy
performance against Berto, which saw both fighters taste the canvas a
combined four times over the course of the bout. Ortiz is also a
southpaw, which has provided some trouble to Mayweather in past
bouts.
The only other fighter that makes sense
for a Mayweather fight at this juncture is Sergio Martinez, the
middleweight champion of the world, as Floyd could make history with
a fight for the 160 pound belt. Instead, Floyd will go after a title
he owned but never lost in the ring as Ortiz holds the WBC title
whose lineage can be traced back to Floyd's defeat of Ricky Hatton in
December of 2007.
With the announcement, Mayweather
heaves himself back into the spotlight of the sport and for good
reason. The fight has been rumored to potentially take place at
Cowboy Stadium, but Arrellano thinks otherwise.
“We'll go to Cowboy Stadium but I
really think that the powers that be at the MGM are not going to
allow that. It's a major fight because it's a fight that is matched
so good with two animals in the ring.”
As far as how official this fight is,
the ink is drying on the contracts as we speak.
“We have signed contracts in place,”
asserted Arrellano. “We are prepared to go on a seven city, five
day press tour. This is on. This is for the kingdom of
pound-for-pound.”
Definitely HBO worthy, and definitely
something fight fans should make sure they have enough cash for when
the pay-per-view rolls around in mid-September.
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