Underdog Boxing: 5 reasons we should be excited for Mayweather-Ortiz

Floyd Mayweather will battle Victor Ortiz on September 17. Ortiz, who holds the WBC welterweight title, was an obvious choice for Mayweather simply because he is the most viable opponent in the welterweight division not named Manny Pacquiao. This match has been received with mixed reactions from Filipino boxing fans (and I understand why); however, I am very excited about it. We all want to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao and we will never be happy unless Mayweather backs up his talk by getting into the ring with Pacquiao. Hopefully, we will finally get the fight we’ve all been dreaming of in the first half of 2012. In the meantime, we should all celebrate the fact that two top class welterweights have agreed to fight each other. Here are five reasons why I think everyone should be excited for the Mayweather-Ortiz fight. 1. At least we all know Mayweather is not yet done with boxing – After he was dropped from the Ring Magazine’s Pound-for-Pound rankings for being inactive for an entire year, many thought Mayweather was done with boxing. But with this fight, we are all given a glimmer of hope. We can start dreaming again of a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown. 2. Ortiz is a live opponent – His style might be perfect for a defense-first fighter like Mayweather but Ortiz has proven in his last fight that he can climb back from adversity. Ortiz is still a heavy underdog in this fight but if he does go down, he’ll go down fighting. Ortiz is a young and hungry fighter who may give Mayweather a run for his money. 3. Mayweather knows he needs a tune-up fight before possibly fighting Pacquiao – It will be incredibly stupid for Mayweather to fight Pacquiao coming from an 18-month layoff. He could have trained through all of those months but nothing can compare to an actual fight inside a ring. A fight against Ortiz may be sign that Mayweather is finally preparing for a fight against Pacquiao. 4. Mayweather is a once-in-a-generation talent and it is a pleasure to see him fight– There are people who love him and people who hate him, but there is one truth that both camps agree on about Mayweather. Both camps know that he is, without a doubt, the most technically sound fighter of this generation. He is a master at what he does and when he is inside the ring, it’s like watching poetry in motion. Mayweather may act villainous outside the ring but there’s no denying the fact that he is a tremendous practitioner of the sweet science. 5. It’s one more super-fight to look forward to – There are only a handful of good fights for the second half of 2011. After Wladimir Klitschko battles David Haye next month, there will be a long wait before we get to see another big fight in Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez. Boxing needs all the big matches it can get and Mayweather-Ortiz is definitely a welcome addition. -- GMA News