When you ask WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz and his trainer, Daniel Garcia, how they plan to hand Floyd Mayweather Jr. his first loss in 42 fights, they are short on specifics.  It seems the two don’t have an exact plan on how to defeat Mayweather if they can at all.  Garcia however was sure to point out Mayweather’s “dirty” tactics in hopes the referee will notice and take action.  Read more after the jump.
“We have looked at all his fights against lefthanders before, especially Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley, and we’re going to take a little something from everybody,” Garcia said.
Whether they are guarding a successful strategy or paving the way to becoming the 42nd notch on Mayweather’s belt won’t be determined until after the 12-round match at the MGM Grand Garden arena is over Saturday night.
It is intriguing enough to drive an HBOÂ Pay-Per-View event, which is enough to satisfy Mayweather the businessman, who has a $25 million guaranteed purse.
Typically when a boxer and trainer offer few answers about how to take away an opponent’s biggest strength – speed and a tight defense in Mayweather’s case – that means they don’t have any. The most recent example was David Haye, who offered few specifics on how he was going to neutralize the giant jab of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko . As the fight unfolded, you could tell that Haye had no answers in the ring, either.
Ortiz, 24, is counting on his youth and power to make up for what he lacks in experience. He hopes that Mayweather, who is 10 years older, will have slower reflexes.
Bernard Hopkins, 46, became the oldest man to ever win a world championship when he defeated Jean Pascal for the WBC light-heavyweight title in May and will defend it against 29-year-old Chad Dawson on Oct 15. He said Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) shouldn’t count on Mayweather being slowed by age.
“Floyd is a young 34 years old,” Hopkins said. “Other than that shot by Shane Mosley, I haven’t seen him hit too hard in his career. I don’t think he’s lost five rounds in his last 10 fights. His body is more rested than a lot of young fighters out there.”
Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) has promised to come straight ahead against Ortiz and hopes Ortiz does the same thing. It makes Ortiz an easy, inviting target.
“If you notice every fighter that came to fight and not survive, they got knocked out. When guys come to fight, OK no problem,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather mentioned Ricky Hatton, whom he knocked out in the 10th round, as someone who came to fight. He mentioned Mosley as a boxer who came to survive.
When asked whether Ortiz would try to survive, Mayweather said, “He can’t. He’s not going to be able to.”
Garcia has been calling attention to what he calls dirty tactics by Mayweather, hoping that referee Joe Cortez will take note and force Mayweather to change his style. Garcia said that Mayweather used his elbows against Hatton and often turns his back to his opponents.
Cortez was the referee in the Hatton fight and he never took a point away from Mayweather.
“The trainer said that I’m a dirty fighter,” Mayweather said. “I have to say, who ever has known boxing to be a clean sport? Boxing is a dirty sport. When you’re in the hurt business and you’re trying to hurt another individual how could it ever be clean?”
Mayweather will present a stern test for Ortiz, who will earn $2 million. If Ortiz can pass and beat Mayweather, he will graduate to the top of the class – ahead of 41 other boxers who have failed.
