Victor Ortiz returns against Robert Guerrero only to lose again
Following a three-year absence from the sport of boxing, welterweight fighter “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (36-6-3, 25 KO’s) made a disappointing return to the ring. He accomplished this by dropping a unanimous decision loss to Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (36-6-1, 20 KO’s). While, technically speaking, Guerrero is a well-known name in the sport, he is but a mere shell of his former self. Also, similar to Ortiz, Guerrero hadn’t fought in the previous two years.
Regardless of the two men’s inactivity, this was still a horrendous reintroduction to the boxing ring for Ortiz. Let the colorful southpaw tell it, this return was supposed to be the beginning of a long and dominate reign on the 147-pound landscape. This was not the way to launch his campaign! In his biggest and most infamous prizefight, with Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Ortiz was knocked out. Yet, what made the incident so legendary was just before being concussed, Vicious Victor attempted to illegally headbutt Mayweather twice. While going above and beyond the call of duty, hugging and apologizing, Money flattened him with a devastating two-piece.
Outside of that, the Kansas native is just as well known for quitting in fights. He was more notably known for his early retreats in his bout with Marcos Maidana and the undersized Josesito Lopez. As for Guerrero, this is a wonderful turn of fortune. In fact, since moving to the welterweight division, the Ghost has pretty much lost every meaningful bout that he’s staged. So winning a unanimous decision on this huge stage with a known, albeit irrelevant Ortiz, Guerrero has undoubtedly secured himself another major payday or two.
IS IT OVER YET?
The fight started how many probably thought it would. Ortiz was the slightly fresher fighter, came forward and looked to clobber with his left hook. At one point, he even appeared to stun Guerrero, yet the former featherweight champion handled himself well. Then in the closing moments of the second, the Ghost racked Vicious Victor’s head skyward with an impactful left uppercut. While Ortiz didn’t look hurt, he ate a number of more shots before the clang of the bell.
Things went from bad to worse for Victor Ortiz. During the third round, he would suffer a cut over his right eye as the result of an unintentional headbutt. With his reputation for quitting, Ortiz fans had to be sending him the strength of perseverance through their silent prayers. At the same time though, Guerrero’s left eye was rapidly swelling shut. The bout hit a relative stalemate plateau for the fourth, fifth and sixth period.
By the seventh, it looked like two athletic but winded league bowlers were settling a beef in the parking lot. In between winging big shots, the two fighters spent a great deal of time clinched, leaning on each other and breathing heavily. The audience at hand could be heard booing in the background.
THE SWEET MERCIFUL SCORE CARDS
There was nothing much more to report until the tenth, when both began the final round with a flurry of action. Predictably though, neither of the two combatants could maintain the energy. By the middle portion of the round, they were simply winging arm punches. Down the stretch, the crowd first booed then seemed to cheer because they realized the fight was coming to a close. When the cards were read, Robert Guerrero was awarded the unanimous decision victory. We’ll just have to see who the long-in-the-tooth Guerrero can secure a fight with next.
By: Bakari Simpson
