I guess I could call this piece VICTOR ORTIZ MEETS BROOKLYN. The former champion had been having a fine time on Dancing with the Stars and other enjoyments of civilian life. No one should begrudge him that but after meeting Luis Collazo in Brooklyn, it was clear that he'd made the wrong choice of opponents for a comeback fight and wasn't all that prepared.
In this, I'm not referring to his physical conditoning which was adequate. But there was something missing from the start as he flailed away in what he hoped would be an early stoppage. That's not to say Victor Ortiz took Luis Collazo for granted. It was more a matter of not being where he should be mentally for a fight that meant so much for his career.
Where Luis Collazzo was concerned, this piece could also have been called the boxing version of THE HUNGER GAMES. Luis Collazzo is one of those guys boxing fans love, even while others like Ortiz get the spotlight. He's a solid fighter with the proper mentality and he fights naturally. There's nothing amateur about his mentality nor his activity in the ring. His style is smooth, economical, and seasoned.
He mentioned in the post fight interview that people thought of him as not having the big punch. This is not exactly the same thing as saying he has a pitty-pat punch. You can ask Ortiz about that. Ortiz had fired a wide hook that careened off Collazzo's chest harmlessly and put in in the wrong position: in range, no defense, exposed.
Collazzo being the natural fighter was right there, his own hook coming automatically, with neither thinking nor strenuous exertion. Bulls Eye. Ortiz took it on the chin right where you're not supposed to take it and he went right over like an overenthusiastic amateur in his first fight.
The long layoff , during which Ortiz recovered from a broken jaw, and the extracurricular activities, had combined to weaken Ortiz' will to do the time. On the other hand, Luis Collazzo has been doing nothing but time, nothing but the hard work.
It was touching, too, to hear him speak of how boxing saved him from the fate of his brothers, one of whom is in the joint for a murder stretch, the other doing a seven year sentence. Collazzo couldn't save them from themselves, nor from the savagery of the streets, but he's turned his attention to helping the young kids in the gym.
As for Ortiz, he needs to make up his mind and not kid himself about boxing. He's been to the top of his world so if he wants to quit, that's okay. But he should be straight with himself. If he wants to do boxing, he needs to pick himself up from the floor and do it the way it's always been done, the way few people (myself included) can do.
Hard work and sacrifice--the way Luis Collazzo does it.
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