Crossroads match for Ortiz, Peterson

Story by Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

Lamont Peterson and Victor Ortiz were both on the fast track to stardom in the boxing world when their respective dreams were deferred in 2009. Ortiz (28-2, 22 KOs) was dealt a crushing blow when he could take no more punishment and threw in his own towel against Marcos Maidana last June. Peterson (28-1, 14 KOs) would see his train derailed as he was soundly beaten by Timothy Bradley last December. But since then, both fighters have sought to get their respective careers on track and will meet in a collision this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV on the co-featured bout of the Khan vs Maidana headliner. On Monday’s conference call both junior welterweights were of little words but got their points across as their date with destiny nears.

“With me I just love to fight,” Peterson said. “It doesn’t matter if it is a cab driver or a champion, I love to fight.”

For the fighter hailing from Memphis, TN, Saturday’s battle with Ortiz is a chance at redemption. Peterson had been steamrolling opponents until he ran into the buzzsaw known as Timothy Bradley and was promptly outboxed for twelve rounds. Up until that point, Peterson was a necessary fight for anyone trying to take that next step. But now, Peterson is on the outside looking in and will fight anyone that is put in front of him.

“When the opportunity comes up to fight on HBO against somebody like Victor Ortiz, of course I’m going to jump on it,” Peterson said. “It’s my job (and) there was no problem with me taking this fight. I think more fighters need to act that way. I’ll sign the paper to fight anyone.”

And the mere thought of a rematch with Bradley is tantalizing for Peterson.

“In the back of my mind I’m thinking about that. I want to get back to Timothy and beat him,” the 26-year-old says.

As for Ortiz, he appeared to have it all heading into his fight with Maidana. He possessed the looks, the style and the likability to become something great. But his heart came in question when he was taking a sound beating before quitting in the 6th round. From that point, a concern if Ortiz had the mental strength to compete on a high level was prevalent. But after taking some time to rethink his dedication to the game and has since reeled off four straight victories – his most definitive being a pulverizing knockout of Vivian Harris in September.

“I never really pay attention to what anyone says,” Ortiz explains when asked how he feels when others question his heart – in particular Harris. “I just take my time with things. Somebody is going to talk, I let them. I don’t say a lot. That’s not me. I was just excited to get in the ring and I was ready. I went to work and I did well.”

Although many will attribute his breakdown against Maidana to a number of factors, Ortiz makes it plain and simple

“When I lost I didn’t listen to my corner and I paid for it,” he says plainly. And since his loss his solution was simple. “All I did (in my last few fights) was listen to my coaches. I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches.”

But now these two are trains on the same track. Unfortunately, there is only room for one to continue his trek back to the top of the junior middleweight division. A loss for either fighter will damage their chances at a title shot in the future. But rather than mince words, the two show nothing but respect for one another.

"Nothing worries me but of course you have to respect the fact that Victor can box,” Peterson tells FightNews. “He can pretty much do it all and he does it well."

“It would be stupid on my end to talk about that guy,” Ortiz says. “He’s a great fighter and I have nothing negative to say about him either way.”

But words don’t win championships, fists do. And on Saturday night, someone’s fists will do all the talking.