Junior Welterweight Showdown: Ortiz vs. Peterson
On December 11, Victor Ortiz and Lamont Peterson will tangle in a crucial 140-pound bout. It is no secret that the junior welterweight division is heating up to a boiling point. Both of these fighters are near the top, but need a win here to keep pace with the cream of the crop. The loser of this bout faces an unenviable rebuilding process, while the victor will be on the fast track to some big fights.
- December 11, 2010
- Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Junior Welterweights: 12 Rounds
Victor Ortiz, 28-2-1 (22 KOs), Oxnard, California
Vs.
Lamont Peterson, 28-1 (14 KOs), Memphis, Tennessee
Each fighter has shown ability, but failed in their first real test. Peterson was looking good until he ran into the best 140-pounder in the world—Timothy Bradley. Peterson had a definite not-ready-for-prime-time look in that fight, but went the distance and didn’t fare so badly for a fighter in his first true world-class assignment. It was in many ways a more forgivable performance than Victor Ortiz’ fight against Marcos Maidana, even if it was less competitive.
While the capitulation of Ortiz was discomforting, the amount of flack he caught and still receives might be over the top. First of all, he was 22 years old. In addition, he figures to not face too many junior welterweight who are capable of fighting like Marcos Maidana did on that night. Besides Maidana, how many 140-pounders can bring the combination of grit, power, chin, and recuperative powers that seem to trouble Ortiz? Other than Maidana and maybe Timothy Bradley, there just aren’t many fighters capable of duplicating that performance.
Some might be making the mistake of assuming that since Ortiz quit in the Maidana fight, he is now suspect in all his future fights. Perhaps that is true to some extent, but this weakness will only manifest against certain opponents. Lamont Peterson, 26, is not one of them. A stylish boxer with polish and skill, Peterson is a gifted fighter, but he is not capable of dragging Ortiz into the kind of draining war that would test his mettle. Not that he even wants to. Peterson’s game is boxing—hitting and not getting hit. If he wants to beat Ortiz, he will have to outbox him. He won’t be able to do it by outlasting Ortiz in a draining battle of attrition.
The problem with Peterson is that while he’s a top-tier boxer, there is nothing that jumps out about him, especially in this division. If he were able to fight at 135, he could probably scoop up some belts and become a top 2 or 3 type of fighter. He’s like a lesser, orthodox version of another top 140-pounder, Devon Alexander. Like Alexander, he can box well, occasionally hit with power, and take a good punch. He just does all those things slightly worse than Alexander—making him a very good fighter, just not an overly-compelling one.
Ortiz, conversely, has the type of offensive talent that leaps off the screen. As the old-timers used to say, he has a lot “on the ball.” His punches and combinations have a springiness to them—an indescribable explosive quality that puts him at the top of this division in terms of offense. In addition, the Maidana fight taught him an important lesson. With his talent, it’s not always necessary to engage in a frenzied war. He can use his skills to win fights. While he will always be looking to do damage, he needn’t totally eschew defense and movement once he begins hitting his opponent. Look for Ortiz to soften up his opponents more in the future before going all out.
Ortiz vs. Peterson Prediction
Peterson is not without hope in this bout. The Bradley fight, while not overly-encouraging, might have been a good learning experience. Sometimes, young contenders need that one fight at the highest level just to get their feet wet, before becoming more comfortable and capable. Peterson does appear to be the more educated, consistent, and professional fighter at this point.
The gulf of talent between the two will be more telling, however. Ortiz is the more gifted ring performer. The stoic solidness of Peterson will have him in good stead. It didn’t seem to me that he was going to go the distance against Bradley after the first several rounds. Lamont showed a lot of inner-resource by righting the ship, going the full route, and even winning a few sessions along the way. I think he will stand up reasonably well to the Ortiz offense. While both are 5’9,” Peterson has a 4-inch reach advantage, which will help him establish a bit of long-range success. Peterson, with a long and successful amateur career behind him, shouldn’t have too many problems with the southpaw style of Ortiz. If anything, it might allow him to find more success with his straight right than he had against Bradley.
Peterson might keep it pretty close, but the more eye-catching punches of Ortiz will allow him to win rounds. I see Ortiz winning a decision in a well-fought boxing match, somewhere in the 117-111 or 116-112 region.
Prediction: Victor Ortiz by unanimous decision.
