Jamaine Ortiz, with a record of 17-2-1 and 8 KOs, put on quite the display last Thursday. Facing off against Teofimo Lopez, the reigning Ring and WBO junior welterweight champ with a record of 20-1 and 13 KOs, Ortiz turned the ring into his personal chessboard. His strategy was all about agility and brains – think quick hits, sneaky feints, and a whole lot of running rings around one of the slickest boxers out there. Despite his fancy footwork, the judges weren’t buying what Ortiz was selling.
Jimmy Burchfield Sr., the big boss at CES Boxing, was all praises. He reckoned Ortiz made Lopez look like a second-rate act in his own circus, only to get the short end of the stick when the judges made their call. According to him, Ortiz had Lopez’s number, and they’re all set to take on the next big names in the division.
Ortiz, sticking to his southpaw stance like glue, left Lopez swinging at shadows for most of the night. Even with Lopez’s track record against southpaws, he couldn’t lay a glove on Ortiz. Ortiz was in his element, dodging and weaving, keeping Lopez at arm’s length with his jab and catching him off guard with some slick counterpunches.
The plan was simple: get Lopez to lose his cool and capitalize on it. Ortiz played him like a fiddle, dodging his wild swings and hitting back when it hurt the most. It wasn’t all cat and mouse, though. Ortiz wasn’t shy about getting stuck in when Lopez tried to bait him, serving up a flurry of punches that had the local lad reeling.
Ortiz, surrounded by the press post-fight, was adamant he’d outsmarted Lopez, getting him to ditch his game plan and dance to his tune instead. But as it goes in the boxing world, politics played its part.
The boxing community was quick to back Ortiz, with heavy hitters like Terrence Crawford and Shawn Porter tipping their hats to Ortiz’s boxing smarts. Arnold Barboza Jr. even chimed in, hoping Ortiz wouldn’t be short-changed.
Ortiz, though gutted about the outcome, isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. He’s keen on a rematch, ready to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger, aiming for a win that leaves no room for doubt.
So, Ortiz might not have the win on paper, but he’s won over the fans, his fellow boxers, and pretty much anyone who saw the fight. He might have been the underdog in Lopez’s backyard, but he sure showed him up, with or without the judges’ nod.