Victor Ortíz
Encyclopedia
Victor Ortiz is an American
professional boxer
of Mexican descent
and the former WBC
welterweight
champion.
He was previously in the light welterweight
division, where he held the USBA & NABO
title.
Ortiz, with a crowd-pleasing, aggressive style, two-fisted power and boyish charm, was made the 2008 ESPN
Prospect of the Year.
He is currently rated as one of the "top three" Welterweight
boxers in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring
, BoxRec.com
, and ESPN
.
The first loss and the two draws on Ortiz's record, are not counted as significant due to the fact the loss came by way of disqualification in the first round for knocking Corey Alarcon cold with an uppercut off a clinch. The first of two draws was a first-round technical draw
in January 2007, when Ortiz faced Marvin Cordova Jr.
, when an accidental head-butt opened a cut on Ortiz's forehead and rendered him unable to continue. The second draw was a controversial one against Lamont Peterson
, as ESPN.com
and HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman
both had it 97-91 in favor for the 23-year-old Ortiz.
, the second of three children of American immigrant parents. When he was seven years old, Ortiz's mother abandoned his family for a relationship with another man. Shortly thereafter, Ortiz began boxing at the insistence of his father, an alcoholic who often beat his children following his wife's departure. In an interview, Victor said, "I hated that lady. I drew her a card once with a little rose on it and I gave it to her. She just threw it down and said 'What do I want that shit for?' That's when I picked up boxing. Then my Dad started screwing up, drinking."
Ortiz' father also abandoned the family five years after their mother left, which forced Ortiz and his five siblings into the Kansas foster care system. Ortiz was twelve years old at the time. When he won the Kansas Golden Gloves
championship, he was dealing drugs (ecstasy and marijuana). Then Ortiz saw his image in the newspaper after winning the Golden Gloves and it moved him. Ortiz said, "The photo came out all over Kansas and that's when it hit me... I realized that I didn't need to be involved with selling drugs in order to make something of myself. I said screw this. I don't need all this crap or this guilt." His older sister would become a legal adult in 2002 and moved to Denver, Colorado
. Ortiz and his younger brother left Kansas and moved in with her.
, he was noticed by former heavyweight boxing contender Ron Lyle
, who had become a supervisor at the center. In 2003, Lyle guided Ortiz to a Junior Olympics tournament, where, at the age of sixteen, he won the 132-pound weight division with a perfect 5-0 record. This time, he was noticed by another former boxer, Roberto Garcia
, who had held the IBF Super Featherweight Championship during the 1990s and whose father was the trainer of Fernando Vargas
.
, he offered to train Ortiz, who accepted and moved from Colorado to California, where he began training at Oxnard's famous La Colonia Youth Boxing Club
. Garcia later became Ortiz's legal guardian, and Ortiz graduated from Pacifica High School
. At age seventeen, Ortiz reached the United States Olympic boxing trials in the 132-pound weight class, where he was eliminated in the final stages. (The weight class was instead won by Vicente Escobedo
.)
Ortiz turned professional later in 2004 while still only seventeen years of age. When he reached the age of eighteen in 2005 and became a legal adult, he gained custody of his younger brother, who is now a college student. Ortiz continues to reside in Ventura, California
.
Victor Ortiz boxed at The Garden City Boxing club where he was trained by five trainers who all worked together to get him ahead in his boxing career. His original trainers included Ignacio "Buck" Avilia, Manuel Rios, Antonio Orozco Sr., Juan M. Aldana Jr., and Alfred Ritz. He won the Ringside National Title in 2001 and 2002 and the National Jr. Olympics
in 2002.
After turning professional, Ortiz easily won his first seven fights against weak opposition. However, on June 3, 2005, Ortiz was controversially disqualified in the first round of a bout against unknown Corey Alarcon in Oxnard. After having already knocked Alarcon down once in the round, Ortiz knocked him down again shortly after referee David Denkin ordered the fighters to separate from a clinch. Alarcon stayed down for the count, and was awarded the fight based on Denkin's judgment that Ortiz's knockout punch had been an illegal punch during a break.
Following the fight with Alarcon, Ortiz continued to win and had built a record of 18-1-1 as of August 30, 2007, when he fought his first well-known opponent, Emmanuel Clottey of Ghana
, in only his second bout scheduled for ten rounds. Ortiz defeated Clottey by technical knockout in the tenth and final round. Three months later, Ortiz followed up on his victory with another knockout win, this time in the first round of a ten-round bout against former junior welterweight titlist Carlos Maussa
of Colombia
.
On September 13, 2008, Ortiz fought his first bout scheduled for twelve rounds, against Roberto David Arrieta of Argentina
. Ortiz knocked Arrieta down in the second, fourth, and fifth rounds, and won by technical knockout in the fifth round. At the end of 2008, ESPN named Ortiz the boxing prospect of the year.
On March 7, 2009, Ortiz fought his first bout televised on HBO World Championship Boxing against Mike Arnaoutis
of Greece
, who had fought top-ten junior welterweight contenders such as Juan Urango
, Ricardo Torres, and Kendall Holt
without ever having been knocked out. However, Ortiz scored a technical knockout of Arnaoutis in the second round.
On June 27, 2009, Ortiz faced Marcos Rene Maidana
(25-1-0) of Argentina
in Los Angeles
for the interim WBA light welterweight title. Ortiz entered the fight with an eight-fight knockout streak. Maidana, a dangerous puncher, had won 25 of his 26 previous bouts by knockout. The only previous blemish on his record at that point was a close split decision loss to WBA champion Andriy Kotelnik. Both Ortiz and Maidana were knocked down in the first round. Ortiz knocked Maidana to the canvas twice in the second round. Ortiz suffered a cut in the 5th round and was knocked down in the 6th round. The fight was stopped when the ringside physician would not let Ortiz continue to fight.
and Garcia's father. Ortiz expressed how the Garcias constantly humiliated him through derogatory speech but would then hire Garcia's
brother Danny. After recovering from a broken wrist and switching trainers, Ortiz announced his return fight would be on HBO Boxing After Dark. On December 12, 2009, Ortiz bounced back from the defeat he suffered vs Maidana to stop Antonio Díaz
, who failed to answer the bell for seventh round. Ortiz then fought Hector Alatorre on February 25, 2010 winning by TKO in the tenth and final round.
Ortiz vs. Campbell
Ortiz was victorious in a unanimous decision victory over Nate Campbell
on May 15 at Madison Square Garden on the Undercard of Khan vs Malignaggi bout. Ortiz, 23, was quicker, more active and landed heavier shots throughout the fight. Campbell, 38, did not seem to have much steam on his punches on the few occasions that he landed anything solid. He also appeared troubled all fight by Ortiz's southpaw style and straight left hand as he followed Ortiz around. Ortiz scored a knockdown on a short right hand, although it also looked like he shoved Campbell.
Ortiz vs. Harris
On September 18, 2010 Victor faced former WBA
light welterweight
champion Vivian Harris
on the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard
at Staples Center
. He was on ESPN
's SportsNation
to promote the fight with Harris
. Victor landed 25-of-54 power punches. He dropped Harris with both hands and landed some nasty power punches. That short right really showed off the unique power possessed by Ortiz. Ortiz knocked Harris down three times in the second round en route to a knock out win with :45 seconds left in the third round.
Ortiz vs. Peterson
On the undercard of Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana
, Ortiz faced former title challenger Lamont Peterson
on December 11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
. Peterson went down for the first time from a right hand that finished a four-punch combination. Peterson got up quickly and did not appear hurt. But he was moments later from another punch and he grabbed on to Ortiz as they tumbled to the mat. But when the fight resumed, Ortiz was on Peterson again and knocked him hard into the ropes, which held him up and caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the second knockdown of the round with about 30 seconds to go. One judge scored the bout a win for Peterson with the other two remaining judges scoring the bout a draw, the fight will go down on record as a draw. This was despite those who were in attendance saying that Ortiz clearly won the fight.
for the WBC
welterweight title on April 16, 2011 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket. Hailed as the early pick for the fight of the year Ortiz won the fight by unanimous decision over Berto. They both came out aggressively, then just over a minute into the round, Ortiz landed a shot behind Berto’s head and Berto went down. Berto and Ortiz exchanged knockdowns in their fights with both of them going down twice. Both fighters were hurt in that fight. However, Berto took a lot of punishment while against the ropes and looked to be exhausted after the 6th. Ortiz had his way from the 7th on and only had to worry about an occasional big punch from Berto. The judges scored the match 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111 all for the new WBC Welterweight Champion.
Star Power
On June 7, 2011, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced via twitter that he and Ortiz had an agreement to fight on September 17, 2011. The fight was for Ortiz's WBC Welterweight belt. Mayweather, ten years older than Ortiz, fought Ortiz after a 16-month hiatus from boxing.
The fight took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena. From round one, Mayweather used his speed, skills and accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in control through the first three rounds (judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Mayweather), but in the fourth round, Ortiz found some success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional headbutt
, busting open a cut
on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth
. Referee
, Joe Cortez
, immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul
. Ortiz -- seemingly acknowledging his wrongdoing -- hugged Mayweather in the corner and even appeared to kiss him. Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. But with Cortez looking away from the fighters, Mayweather unloaded a left hook
and a flush right hand to Ortiz's face. Ortiz dropped and was unable to beat Cortez's count as the crowd of 14,687 -- clearly an Ortiz house -- went absolutely wild.
"In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times," Mayweather said. "After it happened, we touched gloves and we were back to fighting and then I threw the left hook and right hand after the break. You just gotta protect yourself at all times."
Joe Cortez commented post-fight, saying, "Time was in. The fighter needed to keep his guard up. Mayweather did nothing illegal."
|align="center" colspan=8|29 Wins (22 knockouts), 3 Losses, 2 Draws
|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;"
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
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Andre Berto
|||||||align=left|
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|Loss ||29-3-2 ||align=left| Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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|Win || 29-2-2 ||align=left| Andre Berto
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|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 28-2-2 ||align=left| Lamont Peterson
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|Win || 28-2-1 ||align=left|
Guyana Vivian Harris
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|Win || 27-2-1 ||align=left| United States Nate Campbell
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|Win || 26-2-1 ||align=left| United States Hector Alatorre
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|Win || 25-2-1 ||align=left|
Mexico Antonio Díaz
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|Loss || 24-2-1 ||align=left|
Argentina Marcos Maidana
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|Win || 24-1-1 ||align=left|
Greece Mike Arnaoutis
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|Win || 23-1-1 ||align=left| United States Jeffrey Resto
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|Win || 22-1-1 || align=left| Argentina Roberto Arrieta
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|Win || 21-1-1 ||align=left|
Colombia Dario Esalas
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|Win || 20-1-1 ||align=left| Colombia Carlos Maussa
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|Win || 19-1-1 ||align=left|
Ghana Emmanuel Clottey
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|Win || 18-1-1 ||align=left| United States Maximino Cuevas
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|Win || 17-1-1 ||align=left| United States Tomas Barrientes
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|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 16-1-1 || align=left| United States Marvin Cordova Jr.
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|Win || 16–1 ||align=left| Mexico Yahir Aguiar
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|Win || 15–1 ||align=left| Ghana Alfred Kotey
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|Win || 14–1 ||align=left| Mexico Orlando Cantera
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|Win || 13–1 ||align=left| United States Freddie Barrera
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|Win || 12–1 ||align=left| Mexico Nestor Rosas
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|Win || 11–1 ||align=left| United States Leroy Fountain
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|Win || 10–1 ||align=left| United States Donnell Logan
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|Win || 9–1 ||align=left| United States Kevin Carmody
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|Win || 8–1 ||align=left| United States Oliver Bolanos
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|Loss || 7–1 || align=left| United States Corey Alarcon
||| 1 , (2:59) || ||align=left|
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|Win || 7–0 ||align=left| United States Rodney Jones
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|Win || 6–0 ||align=left| Mexico Joel Ortega
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|Win || 5–0 ||align=left| United States Juan Patino
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|Win || 4–0 ||align=left| United States Charles Hawkins
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|Win || 3–0 ||align=left| United States Lee De Leon
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|Win || 2–0 ||align=left| United States Alejandro Nungaray
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|Win || 1–0 ||align=left| United States Raul Montes
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
of Mexican descent
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
and the former WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
champion.
He was previously in the light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
division, where he held the USBA & NABO
North American Boxing Organization
The North American Boxing Organization is one of several regulators of boxing that works in North America. The NABO is one of the regional bodies that is part of the World Boxing Organization.Legendary Roy Jones Jr is former Light heavyweight champion....
title.
Ortiz, with a crowd-pleasing, aggressive style, two-fisted power and boyish charm, was made the 2008 ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Prospect of the Year.
He is currently rated as one of the "top three" Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
boxers in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
, BoxRec.com
Boxrec.com
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to keep updated records of professional boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a mediawiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing: ....
, and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
The first loss and the two draws on Ortiz's record, are not counted as significant due to the fact the loss came by way of disqualification in the first round for knocking Corey Alarcon cold with an uppercut off a clinch. The first of two draws was a first-round technical draw
Technical draw
A technical draw is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because a fighter is unable to continue from an accidental injury or foul.Draws occur when the bout goes to the scorecards, and the officials can't determine a winner...
in January 2007, when Ortiz faced Marvin Cordova Jr.
Marvin Cordova Jr.
Marvin Dale Cordova is a professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division.-Amateur career:...
, when an accidental head-butt opened a cut on Ortiz's forehead and rendered him unable to continue. The second draw was a controversial one against Lamont Peterson
Lamont Peterson
-Background:Peterson and his brother Anthony Peterson are regularly featured on ESPN boxing telecasts, and their story has been frequently discussed on the show. The Petersons were left without parents at an early age, with their father in prison and their mother suffering personal issues. The...
, as ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
and HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman
Harold Lederman
Harold Lederman is a celebrated boxing judge and analyst. He began his career as a boxing judge in 1967 and joined the cast of HBO World Championship Boxing in 1986, where he has been ever since....
both had it 97-91 in favor for the 23-year-old Ortiz.
Early life
Ortiz was born and raised in Garden City, KansasGarden City, Kansas
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James...
, the second of three children of American immigrant parents. When he was seven years old, Ortiz's mother abandoned his family for a relationship with another man. Shortly thereafter, Ortiz began boxing at the insistence of his father, an alcoholic who often beat his children following his wife's departure. In an interview, Victor said, "I hated that lady. I drew her a card once with a little rose on it and I gave it to her. She just threw it down and said 'What do I want that shit for?' That's when I picked up boxing. Then my Dad started screwing up, drinking."
Ortiz' father also abandoned the family five years after their mother left, which forced Ortiz and his five siblings into the Kansas foster care system. Ortiz was twelve years old at the time. When he won the Kansas Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
championship, he was dealing drugs (ecstasy and marijuana). Then Ortiz saw his image in the newspaper after winning the Golden Gloves and it moved him. Ortiz said, "The photo came out all over Kansas and that's when it hit me... I realized that I didn't need to be involved with selling drugs in order to make something of myself. I said screw this. I don't need all this crap or this guilt." His older sister would become a legal adult in 2002 and moved to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. Ortiz and his younger brother left Kansas and moved in with her.
Amateur career
While training at a Salvation Army Red Shield Community CenterSalvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, he was noticed by former heavyweight boxing contender Ron Lyle
Ron Lyle
Ron Lyle was an American professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He is considered to have been one of the best contenders of his era. He was a crowd-pleasing power puncher.-Early life:...
, who had become a supervisor at the center. In 2003, Lyle guided Ortiz to a Junior Olympics tournament, where, at the age of sixteen, he won the 132-pound weight division with a perfect 5-0 record. This time, he was noticed by another former boxer, Roberto Garcia
Roberto García (boxer)
Roberto García is a Mexican professional boxer. He was nicknamed "La Amenaza" as a young boy by his father, because he destroyed everything in his path.-Early life:...
, who had held the IBF Super Featherweight Championship during the 1990s and whose father was the trainer of Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
.
Move to Oxnard
Though Garcia was based in Oxnard, CaliforniaOxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
, he offered to train Ortiz, who accepted and moved from Colorado to California, where he began training at Oxnard's famous La Colonia Youth Boxing Club
La colonia youth boxing club
La Colonia Youth Boxing Club is a boxing gym located on 1st street in La Colonia neighborhood in Oxnard, California. Notable Mexican American boxers train at the gym and future boxers are also brought up there.-GYM:...
. Garcia later became Ortiz's legal guardian, and Ortiz graduated from Pacifica High School
Pacifica High School (Oxnard, California)
Pacifica High School, referred to as Pacifica or PHS, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. It opened in 2001.-History:...
. At age seventeen, Ortiz reached the United States Olympic boxing trials in the 132-pound weight class, where he was eliminated in the final stages. (The weight class was instead won by Vicente Escobedo
Vicente Escobedo
Vicente Escobedo is an American professional boxer of Mexican descent.-Amateur career:As an amateur Escobedo boxed out of the Woodland Boxing Club....
.)
Ortiz turned professional later in 2004 while still only seventeen years of age. When he reached the age of eighteen in 2005 and became a legal adult, he gained custody of his younger brother, who is now a college student. Ortiz continues to reside in Ventura, California
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
.
Victor Ortiz boxed at The Garden City Boxing club where he was trained by five trainers who all worked together to get him ahead in his boxing career. His original trainers included Ignacio "Buck" Avilia, Manuel Rios, Antonio Orozco Sr., Juan M. Aldana Jr., and Alfred Ritz. He won the Ringside National Title in 2001 and 2002 and the National Jr. Olympics
AAU Junior Olympic Games
The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the pinnacle competition held annually by the US Amateur Athletic Union.-Sports currently held:The following is a list of sports that currently take place at the Junior Olympic Games.* Aquatics - Diving and Swimming...
in 2002.
Junior Welterweight
Following the fight with Alarcon, Ortiz continued to win and had built a record of 18-1-1 as of August 30, 2007, when he fought his first well-known opponent, Emmanuel Clottey of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, in only his second bout scheduled for ten rounds. Ortiz defeated Clottey by technical knockout in the tenth and final round. Three months later, Ortiz followed up on his victory with another knockout win, this time in the first round of a ten-round bout against former junior welterweight titlist Carlos Maussa
Carlos Maussa
Carlos "El Apóstol" Maussa is a former professional boxer and light welterweight titleholder. Turning pro in 2000, at the age of 29, Maussa won two titles and fought in several significant fights until his retirement at age 38.Maussa was raised in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Montería, a city...
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
On September 13, 2008, Ortiz fought his first bout scheduled for twelve rounds, against Roberto David Arrieta of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Ortiz knocked Arrieta down in the second, fourth, and fifth rounds, and won by technical knockout in the fifth round. At the end of 2008, ESPN named Ortiz the boxing prospect of the year.
On March 7, 2009, Ortiz fought his first bout televised on HBO World Championship Boxing against Mike Arnaoutis
Mike Arnaoutis
Mike Arnaoutis is a professional boxer in the welterweight division. He is a former WBO NABO Lightweight titleholder.-Career:...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, who had fought top-ten junior welterweight contenders such as Juan Urango
Juan Urango
Juan "Iron Twin" Urango is a professional boxer in the junior welterweight division.-Pro Career:...
, Ricardo Torres, and Kendall Holt
Kendall Holt
Kendall Holt is an American professional boxer fighting in the light welterweight class. He is a one-time world champion, having held the WBO junior welterweight championship from July 5, 2008 until April 5, 2009.-Personal:...
without ever having been knocked out. However, Ortiz scored a technical knockout of Arnaoutis in the second round.
On June 27, 2009, Ortiz faced Marcos Rene Maidana
Marcos René Maidana
Marcos Maidana is an Argentine professional boxer from José Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires. He is and the current WBA light welterweight champion. His only professional losses have come against Andreas Kotelnik and Amir Khan both by Decision.-Fight with Kotelnik:On February 2, 2009, Andreas Kotelnik...
(25-1-0) of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for the interim WBA light welterweight title. Ortiz entered the fight with an eight-fight knockout streak. Maidana, a dangerous puncher, had won 25 of his 26 previous bouts by knockout. The only previous blemish on his record at that point was a close split decision loss to WBA champion Andriy Kotelnik. Both Ortiz and Maidana were knocked down in the first round. Ortiz knocked Maidana to the canvas twice in the second round. Ortiz suffered a cut in the 5th round and was knocked down in the 6th round. The fight was stopped when the ringside physician would not let Ortiz continue to fight.
Comeback
Before the Maidana fight Ortiz fired Roberto GarciaRoberto García (boxer)
Roberto García is a Mexican professional boxer. He was nicknamed "La Amenaza" as a young boy by his father, because he destroyed everything in his path.-Early life:...
and Garcia's father. Ortiz expressed how the Garcias constantly humiliated him through derogatory speech but would then hire Garcia's
Roberto García (boxer)
Roberto García is a Mexican professional boxer. He was nicknamed "La Amenaza" as a young boy by his father, because he destroyed everything in his path.-Early life:...
brother Danny. After recovering from a broken wrist and switching trainers, Ortiz announced his return fight would be on HBO Boxing After Dark. On December 12, 2009, Ortiz bounced back from the defeat he suffered vs Maidana to stop Antonio Díaz
Antonio Díaz
José Antonio Díaz is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division. He's the former International Boxing Association Light Welterweight and WBO Latino Light Middleweight Champion...
, who failed to answer the bell for seventh round. Ortiz then fought Hector Alatorre on February 25, 2010 winning by TKO in the tenth and final round.
Ortiz vs. Campbell
Ortiz was victorious in a unanimous decision victory over Nate Campbell
Nate Campbell
Nathaniel Campbell , more commonly known as Nate Campbell, is an American retired professional boxer. He is a former unified WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight champion.-Amateur career:...
on May 15 at Madison Square Garden on the Undercard of Khan vs Malignaggi bout. Ortiz, 23, was quicker, more active and landed heavier shots throughout the fight. Campbell, 38, did not seem to have much steam on his punches on the few occasions that he landed anything solid. He also appeared troubled all fight by Ortiz's southpaw style and straight left hand as he followed Ortiz around. Ortiz scored a knockdown on a short right hand, although it also looked like he shoved Campbell.
Ortiz vs. Harris
On September 18, 2010 Victor faced former WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
champion Vivian Harris
Vivian Harris
"Vicious" Vivian Harris is a Guyanese professional boxer who was born in Georgetown, Guyana and now resides in Brooklyn, New York...
on the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard
Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora
Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora is a boxing light middleweight superfight at Los Angeles, California on the weekend of the Mexican Independence Day.-Build-up:...
at Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
. He was on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's SportsNation
SportsNation (TV series)
SportsNation is a sports-related television program that airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN America and ESPNews. It is hosted by Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle. It is based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com...
to promote the fight with Harris
Vivian Harris
"Vicious" Vivian Harris is a Guyanese professional boxer who was born in Georgetown, Guyana and now resides in Brooklyn, New York...
. Victor landed 25-of-54 power punches. He dropped Harris with both hands and landed some nasty power punches. That short right really showed off the unique power possessed by Ortiz. Ortiz knocked Harris down three times in the second round en route to a knock out win with :45 seconds left in the third round.
Ortiz vs. Peterson
On the undercard of Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana
Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana
Light welterweight titlist Amir Khan and interim titlist Marcos Maidana reached an agreement to meet on December 11, 2010. The bout was for Khan's WBA Light Welterweight Title, which Khan successfully defended, winning via unanimous decision...
, Ortiz faced former title challenger Lamont Peterson
Lamont Peterson
-Background:Peterson and his brother Anthony Peterson are regularly featured on ESPN boxing telecasts, and their story has been frequently discussed on the show. The Petersons were left without parents at an early age, with their father in prison and their mother suffering personal issues. The...
on December 11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. Peterson went down for the first time from a right hand that finished a four-punch combination. Peterson got up quickly and did not appear hurt. But he was moments later from another punch and he grabbed on to Ortiz as they tumbled to the mat. But when the fight resumed, Ortiz was on Peterson again and knocked him hard into the ropes, which held him up and caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the second knockdown of the round with about 30 seconds to go. One judge scored the bout a win for Peterson with the other two remaining judges scoring the bout a draw, the fight will go down on record as a draw. This was despite those who were in attendance saying that Ortiz clearly won the fight.
Welterweight
Ortiz fought Andre BertoAndre Berto
Andre Michael Berto is a Haitian-American professional boxer. On June 21, 2008, Berto became the WBC welterweight champion by defeating Miguel Rodriguez by seventh round technical knockout. He lost his WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 to Victor Ortiz via unanimous decision...
for the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
welterweight title on April 16, 2011 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket. Hailed as the early pick for the fight of the year Ortiz won the fight by unanimous decision over Berto. They both came out aggressively, then just over a minute into the round, Ortiz landed a shot behind Berto’s head and Berto went down. Berto and Ortiz exchanged knockdowns in their fights with both of them going down twice. Both fighters were hurt in that fight. However, Berto took a lot of punishment while against the ropes and looked to be exhausted after the 6th. Ortiz had his way from the 7th on and only had to worry about an occasional big punch from Berto. The judges scored the match 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111 all for the new WBC Welterweight Champion.
Star Power
Victor Ortiz vs. Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz, billed as Star Power, was a championship fight for Ortiz's WBC Welterweight title. The bout was held on September 17, 2011, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and televised via HBO PPV. As a part of a split-site doubleheader, the broadcast also featured...
On June 7, 2011, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced via twitter that he and Ortiz had an agreement to fight on September 17, 2011. The fight was for Ortiz's WBC Welterweight belt. Mayweather, ten years older than Ortiz, fought Ortiz after a 16-month hiatus from boxing.
The fight took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena. From round one, Mayweather used his speed, skills and accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in control through the first three rounds (judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Mayweather), but in the fourth round, Ortiz found some success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional headbutt
Headbutt
A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
, busting open a cut
Wound
A wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
. Referee
Referee (boxing)
The referee in the boxing is the individual charged with enforcing the rules of that sport during a match.-The role of the referee:Referees have the following roles:*Gives instructions to both boxers before the fight...
, Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...
, immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul
Foul (sports)
In sports, a foul is an inappropriate or unfair act by a player as deemed by a referee. A foul may be intentional or accidental, and often results in a penalty....
. Ortiz -- seemingly acknowledging his wrongdoing -- hugged Mayweather in the corner and even appeared to kiss him. Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. But with Cortez looking away from the fighters, Mayweather unloaded a left hook
Hook (boxing)
A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent...
and a flush right hand to Ortiz's face. Ortiz dropped and was unable to beat Cortez's count as the crowd of 14,687 -- clearly an Ortiz house -- went absolutely wild.
"In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times," Mayweather said. "After it happened, we touched gloves and we were back to fighting and then I threw the left hook and right hand after the break. You just gotta protect yourself at all times."
Joe Cortez commented post-fight, saying, "Time was in. The fighter needed to keep his guard up. Mayweather did nothing illegal."
Professional record
|- style="margin:0.5em-size:95%;"|align="center" colspan=8|29 Wins (22 knockouts), 3 Losses, 2 Draws
|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;"
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|||||align=left|
Andre BertoAndre Berto
Andre Michael Berto is a Haitian-American professional boxer. On June 21, 2008, Berto became the WBC welterweight champion by defeating Miguel Rodriguez by seventh round technical knockout. He lost his WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 to Victor Ortiz via unanimous decision...
|||||||align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss ||29-3-2 ||align=left|
Floyd Mayweather Jr.Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 29-2-2 ||align=left|
Andre BertoAndre Berto
Andre Michael Berto is a Haitian-American professional boxer. On June 21, 2008, Berto became the WBC welterweight champion by defeating Miguel Rodriguez by seventh round technical knockout. He lost his WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 to Victor Ortiz via unanimous decision...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 28-2-2 ||align=left|
Lamont PetersonLamont Peterson
-Background:Peterson and his brother Anthony Peterson are regularly featured on ESPN boxing telecasts, and their story has been frequently discussed on the show. The Petersons were left without parents at an early age, with their father in prison and their mother suffering personal issues. The...
| || || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 28-2-1 ||align=left|
Guyana Vivian HarrisVivian Harris
"Vicious" Vivian Harris is a Guyanese professional boxer who was born in Georgetown, Guyana and now resides in Brooklyn, New York...
| || || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 27-2-1 ||align=left|
United States Nate CampbellNate Campbell
Nathaniel Campbell , more commonly known as Nate Campbell, is an American retired professional boxer. He is a former unified WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight champion.-Amateur career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 26-2-1 ||align=left|
United States Hector AlatorreHector Alatorre
Hector Alatorre is a Mexican American professional boxer in the Welterweight division and is the former World Boxing Empire Lightweight champion.-Pro Career:...
| || || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 25-2-1 ||align=left|
Mexico Antonio DíazAntonio Díaz
José Antonio Díaz is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division. He's the former International Boxing Association Light Welterweight and WBO Latino Light Middleweight Champion...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss || 24-2-1 ||align=left|
Argentina Marcos Maidana| || || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 24-1-1 ||align=left|
Greece Mike ArnaoutisMike Arnaoutis
Mike Arnaoutis is a professional boxer in the welterweight division. He is a former WBO NABO Lightweight titleholder.-Career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 23-1-1 ||align=left|
United States Jeffrey RestoJeffrey Resto
Jeffrey Resto is a Puerto Rican-American professional boxer in the Welterweight division.-Pro Career:In August of 2002, Jeffrey beat the title contender Emmanuel Clottey at the Cipriani's Restaurant in New York City, New York.-WBO NABO Championship:On December 6, 2008 Resto was knocked out by WBO...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 22-1-1 || align=left|
Argentina Roberto ArrietaRoberto David Arrieta
Roberto David Arrieta is a professional boxer in the Welterweight division and is the former WBC Mundo Hispano Super Featherweight Champion.-Pro Career:...
| || || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 21-1-1 ||align=left|
Colombia Dario EsalasDairo José Esalas
Dairo José Esalas is a Colombian professional boxer in the Welterweight division.-Pro Career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 20-1-1 ||align=left|
Colombia Carlos MaussaCarlos Maussa
Carlos "El Apóstol" Maussa is a former professional boxer and light welterweight titleholder. Turning pro in 2000, at the age of 29, Maussa won two titles and fought in several significant fights until his retirement at age 38.Maussa was raised in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Montería, a city...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 19-1-1 ||align=left|
Ghana Emmanuel ClotteyEmmanuel Clottey (boxer)
Emmanuel Clottey is a Ghanaian professional boxer in the Welterweight division. He's the brother of fringe contender Judas Clottey and former world champion Joshua Clottey.-Pro Career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 18-1-1 ||align=left|
United States Maximino Cuevas||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 17-1-1 ||align=left|
United States Tomas BarrientesTomas Barrientes
Tomas Barrientes is a Mexican American professional boxer in the Welterweight division and is the former IBA Light Welterweight Champion.-IBA Light Welterweight Championship:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 16-1-1 || align=left|
United States Marvin Cordova Jr.Marvin Cordova Jr.
Marvin Dale Cordova is a professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division.-Amateur career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 16–1 ||align=left|
Mexico Yahir Aguiar||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 15–1 ||align=left|
Ghana Alfred KoteyAlfred Kotey
Alfred Kotey is a Ghanaian boxer. Born in Bukom, Kotey represented Ghana at the 1988 Summer Olympics and held the WBO Bantamweight Championship.-Amateur career:Kotey represented Ghana as a Flyweight at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 14–1 ||align=left|
Mexico Orlando Cantera||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 13–1 ||align=left|
United States Freddie BarreraJosé Alfredo Barrera
José Alfredo Barrera is a Mexican American professional boxer in the Welterweight division.-Pro Career:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 12–1 ||align=left|
Mexico Nestor RosasNestor Filiberto Rosas Flores
Nestor Filiberto Rosas Flores is a Mexican professional boxer in the Welterweight division.-Ortiz vs. Rosas:...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 11–1 ||align=left|
United States Leroy FountainLeroy Fountain
Leroy Fountain is a professional boxer in the Welterweight division.-Pro Career:In January of 2005, Leroy upset Mikel Williams, the bout was held at the Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.-Ortiz vs...
||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 10–1 ||align=left|
United States Donnell Logan||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 9–1 ||align=left|
United States Kevin Carmody||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 8–1 ||align=left|
United States Oliver Bolanos||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss || 7–1 || align=left|
United States Corey Alarcon||| 1 , (2:59) || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 7–0 ||align=left|
United States Rodney Jones||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 6–0 ||align=left|
Mexico Joel Ortega||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 5–0 ||align=left|
United States Juan Patino||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 4–0 ||align=left|
United States Charles Hawkins||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 3–0 ||align=left|
United States Lee De Leon||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 2–0 ||align=left|
United States Alejandro Nungaray||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win || 1–0 ||align=left|
United States Raul Montes||| || ||align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center