Jamaine Ortiz Says he Will Deliver Vasyl Lomachenko an Upset!
On October 29, lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) faces three-division champion Vasyl Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout will air live on ESPN. Many fans and boxing punditry view Loma as a prohibitive favorite. But Ortiz has never been a fighter who pays too much mind to what prognosticators say.
The 26-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts is coming off his career-best win. In May 2022, he scored a ten-round decision victory over ex-WBO junior lightweight champ Jamel Herring (23-4, 11 KOs). Riding a wave of confidence off that performance, he says he’s ready for the challenge that is Lomachenko.
TO BELIEVE IS POWER
During an interview with news source Spectrum News 1, he said it all starts with having the proper mindset and self-belief and dogged preparation.
“I’ve gone through this fight in my head hundreds of times. Just plays and positions and combinations, and what’s going to be thrown at me, what I’m going to throw back […] I’m feeling real good, I’m feeling really good.
On October 29, we’re going to become victorious. We’re gonna shock the world. Let the doubters doubt, and the believers believe. We’re gonna win.”
Ranked #8 by the WBC at 135, Ortiz is familiar with Lomachenko. The two have previously sparred in 2021. While Ortiz says that sparring is just sparring, he gained valuable experience. He believes those sessions proved he is a fighter with a world championship pedigree.
READY FOR THE BIG STAGE?
Ortiz will need that confidence and a lot more to defeat the gifted Lomachenko. The three-division champ returns to the ring after taking time away from the sport to support his home country of Ukraine, as they are currently at war with Russia. Lomachenko is one of the most skilled fighters in the world and is on a mission to get back to the top. His goal is to become the undisputed lightweight champ.
But Ortiz has his own aspirations, with dreams of becoming a world champion. Fighting in front of the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, he has plans on making a statement of his own.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
