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Exposure: Stevie Forbes calls Victor Ortiz quitter, hype job
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Has Victor Ortiz been exposed as a Tinsel Boy and not a Golden Boy after crushing defeat?
ATLANTIC CITY--Maximum exposure.
That’s what a promoter and a rising fighter get when the fighter is the “A side” in an HBO main event.
Of course, maximum exposure can end up in a boxer being exposed to the maximum in a negative way.
Look, I have not yet watched Golden Boy’s Golden Boy Victor Ortiz KO loss to Marcos Maidana.
I was at ringside here watching what was a mundane Latin Fury 9 PPV show staged by Bob Arum.
Arum had two reasons for his cat that ate the canary smile on this evening.
At Boardwalk Hall, his budding superstar, Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez showed flashes of greatness with a nine round stoppage (the corner wisely halted it) over game Cameroonian Olivier Lontchi.
Three thousand miles away, Ortiz, who ran away from Arum’s company and went to the Goldens with new manager Shelly “Don’t Tinkle With” Finkel, lost his undefeated status in a brutal war against the unheralded Argentinian.
Here's a succinct Associated Press synopsis of the brawl in LA, where singer Michael Jackson was giving the ceremonial 10 count:
LOS ANGELES -- Victor Ortiz's left eye was nearly swollen shut, and his right eye was ringed by a deep cut. Bruises and abrasions covered much of the rest of his face.
Nope, the Golden Boy's telegenic protege isn't quite ready for prime time.
Argentina's Marcos Maidana stopped Ortiz early in the sixth round of an action-packed fight Saturday night, leaving one of the sport's top prospects pulverized and chastened.
The 140-pound bout featured five knockdowns and several wild momentum swings that both thrilled and stunned a Staples Center crowd of 8,600 expecting to witness another step in the evolution of the 22-year-old Ortiz, a charismatic slugger ticketed for stardom by promoter Oscar De La Hoya.
Instead, the fans marveled at a remarkably resilient U.S. debut by Maidana (26-1, 25 KOs) a heavy-handed 140-pounder largely unknown outside his native land and Germany, where he has fought six times in the last two years.
Maidana was knocked down three times in the opening two rounds, yet rallied with a devastating right hand that turned Ortiz's face into a mess. After Ortiz stumbled to the canvas early in the sixth, the ringside doctor stopped the fight."
No one says Ortiz is finished but his Golden luster was greatly diminished in his try for A WBA title.
One battle-tested veteran junior welterweight, Stevie Forbes, did not hesitate in taking to his Facebook page to rip Ortiz as a less than game quitter.
Here’s how the outspoken Forbes painted the yellow stripe on Ortiz’s back:
“Did Victor Ortiz just quit? or is my mind playing tricks? I'm sure I saw before the Doc stepped in that he shook his head no."
Then Forbes added another comment, invoking the name of another heavily criticized Golden Boy and Finkel client, Robert Guerrero. Fittingly, Guerrero is another GBP fighter who ran away from his previous promoter (Dan Goossen).
“Steve Forbes is wondering will people hold Ortiz to the same standard as Robert Guerrero? people grilled him after saying he couldn't go on, or will people say he's young?
I hope nobody's defending that, if so you shouldn't be a boxing fan.”
Then came this Forbes penned entry:
“Ortiz did quit I just watched it again W.T.F hype jobs are destroying boxing this shiznit is disgusting. Lose on your shield.”
Strong words from Forbes, a fighter known for a strong heart and a solid chin.
On Sunday, the mourning after, Forbes explained his visceral comments like so:
"Yea, I'm a fighter first. So to see a guy so hyped up fold like that forced me to react that way honestly.
Keep in mind Golden CEO Richie Rich Schaefer’s pronouncement that “HBO believes that Victor is the kind of fighter who can carry boxing.”
On this night in LA, Ortiz couldn’t even carry himself to victory and tough questions are being asked about his willingness to fight through adversity.
Shaking this label will not be easy for Ortiz, a young man with a golden if not Golden smile and as terrible background as a child abandoned by his parents.
Oscar De La Hoya's company was looking for Ortiz to be their new rock star and I don’t mean Rock Star, the energy drink that sponsors GBP shows.
Ortiz may not be irretrievably broken but he does resemble Humpy Dumpty after he fell off the wall right now.
Michael is a former sports columnist at the New York Post. He was a criminal defense attorney and worked for sports legends Howard Cosell and Don King. Marley also operates BoxingConfidential.com. Email him your thoughts.
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