MORE BOXING FIGHTS: https://www.boxingfightsvideos.com
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/boxingfvideos_
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/boxingfvideos1/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/boxingfvideos_/
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/boxingfvideos_
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/boxingfvideos1/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/boxingfvideos_/
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Gentlemen, looking for a tough, clean fight tonight.
00:03 Protect yourself at all times.
00:04 Listen to my command.
00:06 Good luck to both of you. Let's touch 'em up.
00:08 [Cheering]
00:09 Let's go, champ!
00:11 It's been a long time for Jermaine Ortiz
00:13 to get back inside the ring.
00:15 After his great showing against Vasily Lomachenko,
00:19 he got off to a fast start, took an early lead,
00:21 and then it evaporated in the second half of the fight,
00:24 much like we saw happen to Teofimo Lopez
00:26 against Vasily Lomachenko,
00:28 and he ended up with a debatable loss.
00:31 But here he is with an opportunity
00:32 against Antonio Moran,
00:34 who's also coming off of a 10-month layoff,
00:37 and he wants to make a name for himself
00:39 after several consecutive wins
00:42 since losing to Arnold Barboza in Tulsa
00:44 in August of 2021.
00:46 Ooh, starting to see that in maturity.
00:49 Ortiz, look at his body.
00:51 Back big. I mean, he's solid.
00:53 Look how solid he looks like a welterweight, don't he?
00:55 He sure does.
00:56 Oh, my gosh.
00:58 He don't look like no--
00:59 He don't look like a lightweight to me in there.
01:01 Look at his legs, too. Big old calves, too.
01:03 But he looked emaciated yesterday at the weigh-in.
01:06 Exactly.
01:07 But the power of recovery. Here he is.
01:10 Wow.
01:12 Nice left hook there from Ortiz.
01:16 Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.
01:19 Hey, the brilliance with Ortiz is,
01:24 it's in his name. It's in his fight name.
01:26 Technician. He is.
01:29 He is.
01:30 It should be actually tactician,
01:32 because he can do a little bit of everything.
01:35 He can pressure you.
01:37 He can box from the outside.
01:39 He can blitz you with combinations.
01:41 He can switch southpaw.
01:43 He can switch southpaw.
01:45 He can do a little bit of everything in there.
01:47 And he knows when to do it as well.
01:50 You have to overcome a 3-inch reach disadvantage
01:54 against Toño Moran,
01:56 who has already landed a couple right hands from the outside.
01:58 But you see that quickness with the left counter from Ortiz.
02:01 Pick him up, Tony.
02:03 Moran, he's tough. He's tough. He's a veteran.
02:07 And you see-- Oh, come on, now.
02:11 It was more the kidney shots than the holding, really.
02:16 Right, right.
02:19 No, but Moran is tough.
02:21 Good-sounding boxer.
02:23 Can get aggressive with his offense.
02:25 He's long. He's tall.
02:27 Has good punching power.
02:29 Tons of experience.
02:31 He's going to test Ortiz tonight.
02:33 You know what Moran's claim to fame is?
02:35 And it's not a good claim?
02:37 What?
02:38 He was the last man to be stopped by Devin Haney.
02:41 He was knocked out cold in May of 2019.
02:44 That's the last knockout victory for the undisputed lightweight champion.
02:47 Yeah, but didn't he like--
02:49 Wasn't he like weight-drained?
02:51 He fights at 140.
02:53 He got slept.
02:54 But I'm just saying, he fights at 140, and he came down to 135 with his age,
03:00 with his experience, and then he got knocked out.
03:04 The weight probably had a little bit to do with that.
03:06 I'm just saying.
03:07 You signed the dotted line.
03:09 I get it, but I'm just saying.
03:11 He got knocked out. That's it.
03:13 Devin Haney don't have that type of power, man.
03:15 Don't tell Moran that.
03:17 You know what I am going to tell you?
03:19 What?
03:20 That Jermaine Ortiz had a fight against Humberto Galindo canceled.
03:24 It was due to weight issues.
03:25 He didn't make weight, but it was due to a back injury.
03:28 Uh-oh.
03:30 I had a lower back injury at first.
03:33 It took a long time to heal because I couldn't find the root to it right away.
03:38 Due to the last fight and my injury, it made me feel very down, truthfully,
03:42 just because it was another fight at MSG in New York, close to home,
03:47 where I had all my fan base coming through,
03:50 and it was going to be more of a redemption of getting a win at the MSG.
03:56 I really pushed the envelope on forcing myself to make it happen.
04:00 And the whole situation, I was really pushing myself to go somewhere
04:04 where I knew I should have called it off weeks prior.
04:07 I think the weight issue was all due to the injury
04:12 and not being able to train the same and not even get to go into the scale.
04:16 But this fight, I have no injuries, and I'm 100% healthy.
04:21 Tonight, you're going to see the technician at work with another flawless performance.
04:26 Since that draw against Joseph Adorno where they exchanged knockdowns,
04:32 he beat Nahir Albright, he beat Jamel Herring,
04:37 he almost beat Vasily Lomachenko.
04:40 I mean, this kid has talent, and he just needs an opportunity.
04:44 But when you have a fight canceled for making weight,
04:48 everybody assumes the worst, but now we know it was due to a back injury
04:52 that he shouldn't have taken the fight.
04:54 So they say. I'm just saying.
04:57 You hear a lot of things in the fighter meetings.
04:59 They tell you this, tell you that, and then things don't go well in a fight,
05:03 and then the excuses start coming out.
05:05 Mark, no excuses, though, for Jermaine Ortiz.
05:08 It's exactly what I was saying before about it serves fighters well
05:13 to communicate with the world.
05:15 Listen, he didn't just low weight last time. He had a bad back.
05:19 By the way, you got the greatest compliment from Vasily Lomachenko,
05:23 which is, "Ortiz knows boxing."
05:25 But this fight, Timmy, you noted before what he looks like, his back.
05:30 They're fighting at 138 right now.
05:32 I think it's pretty safe to say realistically his days as a lightweight are pretty much over.
05:37 Ortiz.
05:38 He's ranked number 7 in the world by the WBC at lightweight.
05:42 He would have been next in line had Edwin De Los Santos not taken the fight
05:47 against Shakur Stevenson, and he told us in the fighter meetings,
05:50 "Look, I couldn't fight tonight," and just with 8 weeks' notice
05:54 he's fighting Shakur Stevenson.
05:57 That sounds like the animal you had up there.
06:00 [laughter]
06:02 Hey, fellas, I'm not saying that he'll never fight again at lightweight.
06:06 If you gave him a big shot like that, I'm sure he'd squeeze himself down.
06:10 I just think in the long run, you're looking at a 140-pounder here.
06:14 I'm going to tell you right now--I hate you, Mark--
06:16 but I'm going to tell you right now that Edwin De Los Santos is no joke.
06:22 I'm telling you right now.
06:24 I think he's a tougher match, honestly.
06:26 Not a tougher name, but a bigger name, but a tougher match than the Martin.
06:30 Athletic, southpaw, power in both hands.
06:34 Can box.
06:35 Yes.
06:36 He's going to test Shakur Stevenson.
06:38 Can mix it up.
06:39 I mean--
06:40 I'm excited for that fight now.
06:41 That's not an easy fight.
06:42 Oh, Jermaine just got hurt with a left hook from Moran.
06:45 Break clean, break clean, break clean.
06:47 Break clean, break clean.
06:49 Let's see what type of recuperative powers he has.
06:51 He's breathing hard.
06:52 Let's see.
06:53 And if Moran sees it and sets up another left hook--
06:56 You said he didn't have power.
07:01 No, I said--I said Moran has power.
07:04 I said he has power.
07:05 He does.
07:06 He has heavy hands.
07:07 He's tough.
07:08 Ortiz recovering well here with 20 seconds left in round two.
07:15 Look, you've got to remember the long layoff, 11 months.
07:17 That's a long time out of the ring for anybody.
07:21 You know, these early rounds are dangerous for fighters that have been inactive.
07:27 I don't understand why referee Lee Roger stepped in.
07:36 Let's listen in to Ortiz's corner for a moment.
07:39 Breathe, breathe.
07:41 That's only one round.
07:43 It's a marathon, not a sprint, all right?
07:46 I need your hands up.
07:48 You're coaching right over the top, all right?
07:50 I need your hands up.
07:51 Out and then up in, all right?
07:53 Everything off your jab.
07:54 Stay sharp.
07:55 In and out.
07:56 Keep flat.
07:57 Get your feet moving, all right?
07:58 In and out, move.
07:59 And then let your combinations go.
08:01 You let them walk up to you and punch you first.
08:03 Don't do that.
08:04 Be first.
08:05 You need to just throw in a jab to leave space, all right?
08:08 Isaac Gonzalez, his trainer, saw exactly what we saw.
08:11 Just a nice little sweep around.
08:13 In position, feet planted by Muran.
08:18 Short little uppercut in the inside and a left hook right around.
08:22 [Whistle blows]
08:23 Let's go, second.
08:24 50/50 exchange right there from both men.
08:26 Number three, number three, Jermaine.
08:27 Muran getting the best part of that with that left hook.
08:30 You see the irritation and inflammation under the right eye of Jermaine Ortiz,
08:36 product of that solid left hook that Muran landed.
08:41 [Grunting]
08:46 When we open our ESPN broadcast at 9 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. eastern,
08:52 it'll be Emiliano "El General" Fernando Vargas
08:55 getting his hands wrapped by his father as we speak inside the bowels of this building
09:02 where El Feroz sold out this place against Raymond Joval in 2005.
09:08 So there's a family history of fighting in this building.
09:11 Emiliano will open up the broadcast on ESPN.
09:13 That is so cool. Honestly, that is so cool.
09:15 What a feeling right there from both father and son.
09:20 And what a feeling here with Ortiz and Muran starting to open up here in round number three.
09:26 Now you're starting to see Ortiz, he switched to southpaw because he wants something different.
09:32 And then Muran doing the right thing and cutting him off and going down to the body.
09:36 See, everybody thinks that the only way you cut a fighter off is just by moving your legs
09:40 and kind of corralling him in the corner, but you can cut a fighter off actually
09:44 by throwing a shot to where he's going, and that's what you're seeing from Muran.
09:48 That's the experience of 35 professional fights, the anticipating where your opponent's going to be.
09:54 That right hand lands solidly and Ortiz has to tie up.
09:59 And you see, I like what Muran's doing is he always brings the pressure,
10:02 but the first four rounds, especially when the guy's been out of the ring for 11 months, he's vulnerable.
10:08 He hasn't been hit with eight-ounce gloves in 11 months. Think about that.
10:11 I'm pretty sure he blows up in weight because I did see him in between fights here around the arena,
10:16 and I'm like, "My gosh, how much you weigh? About 190? You're pretty big, young man."
10:20 And so you've got to tear all that weight down, and you get back in the ring,
10:24 and you're not fighting at your optimum weight, and you're not going to be putting on the best performance.
10:29 So four rounds, it usually takes a fighter to get warmed up, get activated, get himself activated.
10:34 So if you can take advantage of him early on, like Muran's doing, landing these hard shots, hey, be my guest.
10:41 Jermaine Ortiz said, "Look, I had trouble. Sometimes I would spar one day,
10:45 then I'd have to take three days off to recover from that back injury."
10:49 So sometimes you hear a guy, "Well, I was away for a year, but I was in the gym."
10:52 That was not the case for Jermaine Ortiz as he trips up, loses his boot.
10:56 That is so rare. I don't think I've ever seen a fighter lose his boot after getting stepped on inside there.
11:04 It'll take a minute for them to put him on because they have to untie the laces.
11:09 Here's where it happens, Tim.
11:12 He didn't even step on his shoe. He just pulled back. Did he step on it?
11:17 No, he stepped on the outside part of the shoe. Look, the left foot. There it is.
11:21 Oh, yeah.
11:22 Right on the heel.
11:23 Yeah, that is a flat tire. That is a flat tire, yes.
11:26 But the way you tie the shoes, a lot of times there's tape on the shoelaces.
11:31 Yeah, but it's only around the shoelace. It's not around the actual shoe itself.
11:36 And these are like the three-quarter top. They're not the full high top, the Venom shoes here.
11:41 No, you pull the back down, that shoe can easily slide off. It doesn't matter how tight it is.
11:45 It can slide off, especially if you have a little wiggle room.
11:47 If fighters are like me, I have a little, like, about a quarter of an inch or a half an inch in my shoe.
11:53 That's why you got the blisters against Manny Pacquiao.
11:57 No, it wasn't no blisters, big dog.
11:59 I know, you tore a tape.
12:00 That was ligament damage, bro.
12:02 I did a stupid thing, thinking of Mike Tyson, thinking he was going to give me more power.
12:06 I took my damn socks off.
12:08 For the last minute, I made the dumbest choice and took my socks off, bro.
12:11 What was I thinking, man? Somebody should have slapped me, bro.
12:14 Somebody did need to slap you.
12:15 My gosh, bro. And I went in there and tore some dang ligaments on the bottom of my foot, man. Unreal.
12:21 Someone probably tried to slap you and you still did it, too.
12:25 Don't pull him down, Jermaine.
12:27 I'm blaming Mike Tyson on that, man.
12:30 Nice jab to the body for Jermaine Ortiz.
12:32 He took a breather, too. Both guys get a little breather out of that.
12:36 Nice short right from Moran to close out the third round here against Jermaine Ortiz
12:42 as he dicks to the chest of the fighter out of Rustomas.
12:47 Way short of time, son.
12:59 Back in the fight. But I need your hands out.
13:02 Don't let him walk up to you. Start jabbing, even if it's not a hard jab.
13:05 Nice and light. Throw it before he even comes to you.
13:07 Because then he's looking at that, then he gets desperate and swings wild.
13:11 And you make a miss. After you land the combo, circles.
13:14 Get behind him or move. Don't stand in front.
13:17 Jermaine has been throwing some illegal shots tonight, Tim.
13:22 A little frustration going on.
13:25 Body shot right there. Turned around.
13:28 Yeah, just trying to take advantage of Moran being out of position right here.
13:34 He didn't land that shot. If he would have landed that shot behind the head,
13:38 the referee definitely would have stepped in and gave him a warning.
13:41 He should have at least gotten a warning for the intent of trying to hit him.
13:45 He's doing anything he can to try to weaken Moran because he feels that power.
13:49 He has that power coming and that pressure coming.
13:52 But I just know that commissions especially are very wary of anything to the back of the neck.
13:59 And that was an intentional shot that was trying to land.
14:02 He also intended to land that double jab and that stiff jab continues to just land flush on the face of Moran.
14:09 Yeah, you know, back in the days, they realized that those rapid punches,
14:13 because a lot of rapid punches were actually, they happened way back then,
14:16 in the beginning of time, I would say, in boxing.
14:18 But then they realized that those rapid punches are dangerous for the brain.
14:23 Damages the nervous system in the back.
14:25 That brain stem sits right back there, man.
14:27 Yeah, absolutely.
14:28 Ooh, nice combination. A left-right from the southpaw stance from Jermaine Ortiz.
14:34 Yeah.
14:36 That's been the most solid shot that Ortiz has landed.
14:40 And guess when it happens? In the fourth round where you said that a fighter starts to get his sea legs.
14:45 Oh yeah, he's starting to get his sea legs. Absolutely.
14:47 And you're starting to see him starting to get in his rhythm now.
14:50 And Moran now is going to have to reset himself because what was working before is no longer working.
14:56 You're telling me yesterday's price is not today's price?
14:58 It's not today's price, not this round.
15:01 And a fighter scored round by round.
15:04 Nice right uppercut from Ortiz.
15:07 Round by round.
15:09 There's that short right. Now you see the speed, the crispness.
15:13 There's something about Ortiz. Maybe it was getting clipped last round that got him focused.
15:18 It's the fourth round, man. This is the round. I'm telling you, man.
15:21 You've got to get acclimated.
15:23 Once you get acclimated, get in your rhythm, your fighter typically slows down around this time.
15:27 He starts getting comfortable.
15:29 Now you're going to be seeing the skills come out from Ortiz.
15:32 The technique.
15:33 He's flowing now, yes.
15:34 And here, southpaw versus orthodox.
15:36 You see Ortiz getting his foot on the outside and steps in with a combination.
15:40 Both guys right now are positioned well together.
15:43 Ortiz is getting pushed off his line right now, but now he's standing still.
15:48 Double left hand right down, strike down the middle.
15:52 Nice left hand once again from Ortiz.
15:58 You draw a line between both these fighters.
16:00 When they're standing directly in front, there's a 50/50 opportunity for both fighters to land.
16:04 And then it's all about positioning.
16:07 It's all about getting in a position where your opponent is not ready.
16:10 Right there, you see, Moran wasn't ready for what was coming his way.
16:15 Now there's speed, now there's power on the punches of Jermaine Ortiz.
16:20 He's been timing. Now he's timing Moran.
16:22 Moran is coming straight in, trying to do the same thing he did a few rounds ago, but it's not working.
16:27 Moran needs to get back on his jab.
16:29 He needs to start attacking that body.
16:31 Focus on that body to take the legs away of Ortiz.
16:36 There you go. He must have heard me.
16:40 Excellent round for Jermaine Ortiz.
16:43 Tonight's co-main event will be Xander Zaya stepping up to 10-round status
16:48 against Roberto Valenzuela and the Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry.
16:51 Mark Riegel's in the locker room with Xander.
16:54 Xander, you just had a birthday. You're 21, you're a four-year veteran.
16:58 I see you're old enough to drink. You're in a good mood?
17:01 I'm in a good mood, man. I'm here in Copas Christi.
17:03 I'm here to have fun and just to steal the show like I always do.
17:06 Four years in the game now. What's the biggest thing you've learned?
17:09 Have patience. Stay true to myself. Keep the circle small and just keep having fun with it.
17:15 You're on TV tonight. You do have a big opportunity.
17:18 What's the message you want to send? You're going against a tough veteran.
17:22 I want to send a message to the whole division.
17:24 Xander's coming and Xander's coming to take over the whole division.
17:27 Is this fight ending in a knockout?
17:29 I don't want to predict anything. I'm going to have fun and I'm going to get the victory.
17:32 However it comes.
17:34 How will it come?
17:35 It doesn't matter.
17:36 Thank you, Xander. Bernardo, back to you.
17:38 Thank you very much, Mark. Xander Zayas, a four-year veteran at age 21.
17:45 And the growth that we're seeing and that we expect to see from this young man who's stepping up to ten round status, Tim.
17:51 I don't know about no veteran.
17:53 I know, right?
17:54 But, you know, yes, yes. I'm so excited to see Xander Zayas get back into the ring.
18:01 I missed him last time I was at the Hall of Fame.
18:03 Oh, come on. Hey, just name dropping.
18:06 I was just chilling at the Hall of Fame.
18:09 I was at the Hall of Fame getting my little ring of rain.
18:12 But I'm just going to tell you, this is a promising young man.
18:15 I think he has all the skill set.
18:17 I think he has the skill set. I think he has the mindset also to go very far in this division and in the game of boxing.
18:23 So let's see how he looks tonight, man.
18:26 He's matched tough tonight, I can tell you that.
18:31 See a small, little minor adjustment from Moran now.
18:50 Now he's not just walking straight forward.
18:52 Now he's trying to use, come in now behind one low guard, leading left low hand.
18:59 I won't call it a Mayweather. I won't call it a Mayweather shoulder roll.
19:02 But I'm just saying.
19:04 Now both guards are low.
19:07 And his main focus right now is the body.
19:10 The body, that's his main focus.
19:13 You know, sometimes when you get in the ring and you got a guy that's...
19:20 You got a fighter like Ortiz that's very athletic, you know, quick, agile.
19:28 And you have a hard time hitting his head.
19:31 You got to focus on one thing. One thing.
19:36 And it can be hitting him to the chest or the body, the bigger target.
19:41 Because then, that's what you do, you're going to slow him down eventually.
19:44 He's going to stand in place and he's going to be able to line up your shots.
19:48 You see that? I'm telling you.
19:50 Oh, he hurt. He hurt. He hurt. He hurt with that shot.
19:53 I'm letting you know right now. That's why he's running.
19:55 And see, that's the effectiveness from that punch.
19:59 That's what the judges look for. They look for effective punching.
20:02 And that's what you saw right there with that body shot.
20:04 They're looking at how fighters are reacting once they get hit.
20:08 Tim, you talk about impact on your opponent.
20:11 That was a perfect example of that.
20:14 You see Moran digging downstairs and you see how the elbows of Ortiz are tucked in.
20:20 It's changed the fight completely here in this fifth round.
20:22 Yes, it is. So that meter now was into Ortiz's favor.
20:25 Now that meter is going right over on Moran this round.
20:33 And when I say the meter, that means the winning meter.
20:36 He's either winning this fight closely, moderately, or he's winning this round, I would say.
20:42 This round, closely, moderately, or decisively.
20:45 Well, he's winning it from the southpaw stance to switching things up.
20:49 Let's talk about Xander Zayas because the middleweight prospect--
20:52 Ooh, as he gets hurt here. Nice shot from Ortiz.
20:56 And let's see if the bell can save Moran.
20:59 He had the round until he didn't, Tim.
21:01 Until he didn't, my friend.
21:04 My goodness, what a flurry from Jermaine Ortiz.
21:08 It came from the brink of being down to almost dropping Moran.
21:13 10-9 right there, Ortiz. No doubt about it.
21:16 You see Moran being tended to, but, Tim, both guys hurt in this round.
21:30 Let's take a look at the body shot first.
21:32 Look at this body shot. I told you the main focus has to be the body right here.
21:35 When you have a fleet-footed fighter, someone as athletic as Ortiz,
21:39 and you see right there, nice body shot lands, and you saw the reaction from Ortiz,
21:43 but look at this shot right here.
21:45 Moran, he got a little bit overconfident.
21:48 He was coming forward. He was looking for the attack.
21:50 And I always say, what we always say,
21:52 "Hey, a dead snake is a deadly snake," or "Her snake is a deadly snake."
21:56 And that's what you saw right there.
21:58 Moran was coming forward, trying to get over--
22:00 Got a little bit overly aggressive, and got hit with a big shot on the way in.
22:04 Double impact, and you saw his legs.
22:06 He did the stanky leg dance after that, man.
22:08 No joke right there. Wow.
22:11 My goodness, what a great shot, or a series of shots.
22:17 It was a right and a left from Ortiz, and now he's digging to the body of Moran.
22:22 I mean, you say, "Fight to the belt," Tim,
22:25 and that's exactly what Ortiz did to take that round away from Moran.
22:31 Yes.
22:32 Nice body shot again, and now he turns Moran around,
22:36 and Ortiz lands a couple of shots.
22:38 Some of those behind the head, though.
22:40 And the referee didn't do anything. He just watched it unfold,
22:43 and he said, "Hey, well, be careful, you know, from turning around, you know.
22:47 Stop turning your back, or stop reaching around him,
22:50 getting around him, and then, you know, hitting him while his back is turned."
22:53 If you're Moran, though, you've got to go downstairs.
22:57 If it worked for you in round five,
22:59 you've got to find a way to get close enough to land on Jermaine Ortiz.
23:03 But then, when Ortiz earned your respect with a combination like he landed
23:07 at the end of that fifth round, it makes you think before you step forward.
23:10 But Moran, he's definitely--he's still game.
23:16 Eyes are wide open. It seems that he's recovered from that last round,
23:19 getting hit with that big shot.
23:21 You know, the one mistake I would say Ortiz did in this round
23:25 is he didn't come out blazing. He should have came out blazing.
23:29 Check this man's temperature. See if he has recovered.
23:33 You allow him to sit back and think right now.
23:35 Now he's recovering, and he's going to build up steam,
23:38 and he's going to build up confidence,
23:40 and he's going to come on strong towards the end of this round.
23:42 Think Ortiz can be a little tired here just because of the fact that he's been off for 11 months?
23:51 - No. - Trying to catch a second win?
23:53 It could be. I mean, he's taking this round off right now, seemingly taking it off.
23:57 He's just looking to land clean punches at this moment, but...
24:00 Nice left, double left from Ortiz.
24:11 What he's doing is, Ortiz now is looking to set him up.
24:13 That's what he's doing. He wants to walk him in on another shot.
24:16 - It worked the last round. - There it is.
24:18 Yeah, that's what he's doing.
24:20 He wants to walk him in. He knows that Moran is going to come forward.
24:24 He understands that, and he's trying to anticipate it and catch him.
24:27 Look at the nice little split on the nose right there that Ortiz has caused.
24:31 Yeah. I was just about to mention the fact that he's started to trickle down.
24:34 See, one thing that the fans got to understand also is--
24:40 that's beautiful body work anyways--
24:42 but the fans got to understand that judges don't count damage.
24:45 It's not like MMA where they count damage.
24:48 You know, a single shot is a single shot.
24:51 And a guy might look terrible. He got messed up.
24:54 But that doesn't matter. It's all about the punches that are landing.
24:57 The effect of punches that are landing.
24:59 You see the left arm to main Ortiz once again landing it.
25:02 Now it's a right uppercut that stops Moran in his tracks.
25:06 And now the power of Ortiz added to his skill.
25:11 Did you see the solo jab at the end?
25:14 - Crazy. - That was mad.
25:16 Let's take a look at some of the great action we've had between these two fighters.
25:19 Both have been hurt.
25:21 I ain't gonna lie. This is some of the best matchmaking that I've seen in a very long time on this entire card so far.
25:26 Moran came to fight. There's no doubt about it.
25:29 But Ortiz, again, showing his athleticism, showing his ability in the ring.
25:32 Having experience from being in the ring with Lomachenko and guys like that.
25:36 He's really showing his skill tonight against Moran who's tough.
25:40 Who can punch, but then he catches him with this shot.
25:43 After a round that we thought that he was losing.
25:46 He kept his composure even while being hurt.
25:49 And was able to find a way to hurt his man.
25:52 Just great work, I believe, by both men. Great fight tonight.
25:55 I can't wait to the next round, man. I'm excited, man.
25:58 This is a really good fight that's turning out right now.
26:00 - Yo, it's Mexican Independence Day weekend, Tim. - You already know.
26:03 - We do not play. - So everybody bringing it today.
26:05 - That's what I'm talking about. - Absolutely.
26:07 - Dang right. - Round 7 of a scheduled 10-rounder.
26:10 Jermaine Ortiz in his return to the ring.
26:12 After giving Vasily Lomachenko all he could handle in October of 2022.
26:17 Here we are, September 15th, and he's in the ring against a very game,
26:22 Antonio Moran, who hurt him in round 2, hurt him in round 5.
26:26 But he's also been tagged several times.
26:29 And now Moran is weary because Ortiz has found his rhythm.
26:33 - He's found his reign. - Yup.
26:35 - And he's found his power. - And watch this springboard left hand he's about to catch him with.
26:39 He gonna get--he looking for him to reach, and then he gonna--there, you see it?
26:43 - He was setting it up. - He's trying to set it up, yeah.
26:46 That's why he was moving that way, I saw it.
26:48 That time it wasn't the right angle.
26:53 Ortiz was on.
26:55 Set up that up jab is Jermaine Ortiz.
26:58 Jab from Moran, but you talk about that 6th round,
27:05 a round where we thought he was taking off, and he just turned it on at the right time.
27:09 Yes, yes. That's experience.
27:12 And you know, it's funny, because he spoke to us in the fighter meeting about his fight against Lomachenko,
27:17 and how Lomachenko was able to adjust his energy.
27:22 You know, midway he kind of let off the gas, and then towards the end, he turned it on.
27:27 - That's experience. - Yeah.
27:29 And I know what he was talking about, because that's what packout was like.
27:32 It was like, you start off, he starts off quick, and then towards the midway point,
27:36 it's like, "Okay, I'm here, I'm here," and then he starts pouring it on.
27:39 And I'm like, "Damn, I'm tired. It took me this--
27:42 I had to fight harder than I ever had to fight the first 6 rounds."
27:46 And then he comes on in the back end even stronger, so--
27:49 I'm weakening him, so I understand where he's coming from with that, man.
27:53 It's experience, man.
27:55 It's great insight, and good to hear from you about what it was like to be in there with one of the greatest in the manufacturing.
28:00 But that's what he felt too, being in the ring with Loma Chanco.
28:03 You know what you and Dre always talked about was how--
28:07 - I miss Dre. What's up, Dre? - I know. We sent him a big shout-out.
28:11 But you know what? It's like the mental pressure.
28:14 - Yes. - You know, and I think that's what--
28:16 - Yes. - Ortiz felt against Loma,
28:19 and what you described against Pacquiao. Here we go again.
28:22 - Good job. Good job. Go. - He didn't hit him, but good job. Nothing.
28:26 He hit him once. No, but you're right.
28:29 It's the mental pressure that goes along with it. It does affect you.
28:33 And it's just not in the ring. It's even the lead-up.
28:36 The lead-up, it can affect you.
28:38 You know, I tell people all the time, like, fights can be lost, like, literally, like, a day before you get in the ring.
28:44 Like, you could have it all together through the entire week,
28:47 and then right before you step into that ring, it all goes away.
28:50 It's like, where did the confidence go? You start doubting yourself.
28:54 You have to fight that demon all the time.
28:56 Every minute, every moment until the fight is over.
28:59 - I'm telling you, it's vicious. - Take a picture of the bell.
29:01 Then you get in there, you got to deal with that animal.
29:04 - Absolutely. - And you see a nice combination,
29:07 and he almost drops him out of the ring, but it was a headbutt that Tim called.
29:11 - Yeah, it was a headbutt. - My goodness. Good thing he didn't fall all the way through.
29:15 Is there going to be a point deduction?
29:19 No. No point deduction.
29:21 And just to make it clear, the commission in Texas is not using instant replay tonight,
29:27 but we have it for our benefit, and we're going to take a look at exactly how it happened, Tim.
29:32 - You called headbutt. - Yeah.
29:34 You see the double left hand come in, boom, oh, nope, it wasn't a headbutt.
29:39 - Nope. - With the physical push, though.
29:42 Yeah, with the physical push. The heads came together, but see, this is an example of being in a position I am.
29:47 Ooh, see, headbutt, almost came together, but it didn't.
29:51 Thank God for instant replay.
29:53 But just his momentum coming forward, that was it.
29:55 Just his momentum coming forward. Look at Christina, our analyst right there.
29:59 - She almost had to catch somebody today. - She's going to catch him.
30:02 It was going to be like a delivery.
30:03 And you want to know something? When a fighter does, you can protect yourself,
30:07 but when a fighter does fall out of the ring, you can't help him.
30:09 - Yes, that's right. - You cannot help him get back in the ring.
30:14 The referee did, maybe the only one who can, but he didn't fall completely out of the ring.
30:19 He was halfway in still, so there's that leeway here as we get into round number eight.
30:25 An eventful fight, Tim. We've had both fighters hurt.
30:28 We've got a cut over the bridge of the nose of Moran.
30:30 Now we've seen him go partially out of the ring after a push, so a lot of action inside this ring.
30:36 Some of it legal, some of it on the borderline.
30:39 Yeah.
30:40 Yes, it is.
30:44 Rabbit punching from Ortiz as well. That's disappeared, though, as he's found his rhythm.
30:49 Yes, yes it has.
30:51 I mean, now he's looking to use a lot of Moran's aggression against him.
30:58 Stab jab from Moran.
31:01 He's not as willing to get in close as he was earlier in the fight.
31:06 No, he's not. I mean, he's trying to adjust as well.
31:08 Oh, that's a nice long left. That hurts Moran, and Jermaine Ortiz goes right after him, trying to finish him in that corner.
31:16 But Moran's got a lot of heart, and he gets clipped once again.
31:21 Now it's a body shot from Ortiz.
31:23 That body shot hurt him so bad.
31:26 And a lot of guys can take a shot to the head.
31:29 It's when you go down to the body that they really ask themselves, "Do I want to continue?"
31:34 Body shots suck the man out of you.
31:37 I'm not going to lie.
31:39 Ortiz is in target practice mode right now.
31:44 He is locked in and focused.
31:46 Yeah, I mean, he's a more technical boxer.
31:49 His technique, his form is a lot better.
31:51 You know, he's holding it together really, really well.
31:55 His position is a lot better. Moran is coming straight forward, looking for one shot.
32:00 Either the body shot or the right hand.
32:02 And just right in front of Ortiz.
32:05 So Ortiz, you're going to see him get off the line and then fire that left hand.
32:08 You know that old saying from Mike Tyson, "Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the mouth."
32:13 Well, that's exactly what happened with Moran.
32:15 His plan was working until it didn't, until Ortiz made the adjustments.
32:20 Moran got a plan of his own. He's landing right hands right now on Ortiz.
32:23 Oh, and now there's a cut under the right eye of Jermaine Ortiz.
32:28 Ortiz is having a bite down on his mouthpiece right now.
32:34 Moran's coming now.
32:36 That eye has been swelling since early on in the fight.
32:39 We mentioned it around the second and third round.
32:41 And now there's a cut under the right eye of Ortiz.
32:44 And he's going to have six minutes and 40 seconds to fight on as the inflammation gets worse.
32:50 You talk about back and forth action.
32:57 Just when you think one guy is almost done, the other comes back with a flurry of their own.
33:03 And hurts their opponent.
33:05 It's been that type of fight between Ortiz and Moran.
33:07 And when you have these types of fights, they're really hard to judge.
33:10 Both guys are landing effective punches.
33:14 What an excellent eighth round we saw.
33:21 Because now it's Ortiz coming on at the clapper.
33:24 But a nice double right uppercut from Moran.
33:27 Saying, "You're not going to steal this round from me."
33:30 So let's take a look at what we saw in this round as the cut was caused by a punch.
33:36 First it was Moran getting hurt.
33:38 Straight left hand. Just a double jab.
33:41 Got him looking at the double jab.
33:43 If you looked at the feet placement right there, it's on the outside of Moran's lead foot.
33:47 Was able to line up that left hand.
33:49 Momentum coming forward.
33:51 I don't know if Moran was really hurt from that shot.
33:53 I mean, he was buzzed.
33:55 You see his legs right there give out a bit.
33:57 But then he comes back on the back end of this round.
34:00 Right here.
34:01 With shots of his own coming around the guard right here.
34:04 And that straight right hand.
34:07 My goodness.
34:08 That's where the cut was opened up.
34:10 Blood started gushing out of that.
34:12 And just nice follow up punches right there from Moran.
34:15 But man, I'm telling you guys.
34:17 These matches tonight are serious.
34:20 I'm loving it.
34:21 These are some serious matches.
34:23 They're testing both fighters' skill and will.
34:27 And I think we have that throughout the night.
34:29 Up next, it'll be John Rincón, a fighter out of Corpus Christi,
34:32 who's 7-0, taking on Puerto Rican Brian Rodriguez.
34:36 And then an all-Mexico matchup.
34:38 Omar Aguilar against Julio Luna.
34:40 That is a fight you won't want to miss.
34:42 And then we move to ESPN with Emiliano "Fernando" Vargas,
34:46 El General Xander Zayas,
34:48 and a championship fight between Luis Alberto Lopez and Jowette Gonzalez.
34:52 Action-packed Mexican Independence Day weekend
34:55 kicks off right now on ESPN+.
34:58 Ebbs and flows throughout this fight, going either way.
35:07 And it is a close fight.
35:09 In my perspective, I still think Ortiz has done enough to be slightly ahead,
35:14 but there's some close rounds here.
35:16 Yes, it is.
35:19 Due to the fact that the punches that Moran was landing,
35:24 you know, and you saw the impact and the effect of those punches,
35:28 where Ortiz was on his bicycle trying to get away,
35:31 especially from the body shots early on.
35:33 And you know what? How about the recuperative powers that each has shown?
35:38 Both, yes.
35:39 You know, that's part conditioning, and that's part will.
35:43 You know, having mental toughness.
35:47 Now Moran feeling a little bit more confident,
35:50 that may open up opportunities for Ortiz to counter.
35:53 It can.
35:54 It definitely can, but I'm just waiting on Ortiz to land something significant this round,
35:59 as Moran has landed some good right hands.
36:02 See, shots like that. That's what I'm talking about.
36:04 That's what I'm looking for him to land.
36:06 These shots like that.
36:08 Good body shot.
36:11 Stab jab.
36:12 Nice stab jab.
36:13 Nice.
36:14 Nice throw on the left from Ortiz.
36:23 To Moran, he can't get away from them, his left hand.
36:29 He hasn't made any adjustment.
36:31 He gotta get it. He gotta try to fight and get his weight outside of that.
36:38 Move to the weak side of Ortiz.
36:40 Move away from that left hand.
36:42 He's moving right into it.
36:43 There it is again.
36:50 That's easy taking, easy picking right there from Ortiz.
36:54 Just setting him up.
36:56 He's making Moran do all the work, expend all the energy,
37:04 and he's just catching him coming in.
37:06 Yeah, this is what you call ring generalship right now.
37:08 This is what you call that.
37:10 Ring generalship, you're allowing your opponent to come to you.
37:13 He's being the aggressor, but at the same time,
37:15 you're being the counterpuncher off the back foot.
37:18 And this fits into also ring control as well.
37:23 Ring generalship, ring control, and in the criteria of effective aggression.
37:35 10th round coming up, and eventually at 10 Eastern,
37:39 we'll be moving over to ESPN where Emiliano "El General" Fernando Vargas,
37:44 who sparred with Shakur Stephenson, sparred with Jamelle Herring,
37:47 sparred with our main event fighter, Luis Alberto "El Venado" Lopez,
37:51 the champions of the world, he'll be in action opening the card.
37:56 And then our co-feature will be Xander Zayas,
37:59 putting his 15-0 record on the line as he loosens up inside his locker room.
38:04 Representing Puerto Rico on Mexican Independence Day weekend
38:08 in a Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry against an opponent who has 20 knockouts in 21 wins.
38:15 This young man who signed with Top Rank at age 16,
38:19 the youngest ever to do it, cannot make a mistake against the powerful Roberto Valenzuela.
38:25 Well, here's that left shot right here by Ortiz.
38:29 Just rolling his shoulder a little bit to get away from the shots.
38:33 Nice little nip right there. Nice little grazing blow.
38:36 Little blade, little, little braze.
38:38 Grazing, grazing shot. Yeah.
38:40 See, thanks for helping me out, man. I'm a little word genius.
38:43 [laughter]
38:44 [laughter]
38:45 [laughter]
38:47 [shouting in Spanish]
39:15 You enjoy the action here as we start off the 10th round
39:19 between Jermaine Ortiz and Antonio Moran.
39:22 It's not an easy route for either guy.
39:25 No, it isn't, but you see how comfortable Ortiz looks now, right?
39:29 Yes.
39:30 You saw in the beginning he was a little bit tentative.
39:32 He wasn't as comfortable as he is now.
39:33 Now he's in his element.
39:35 He's in his rhythm.
39:36 He sees everything coming.
39:37 He's felt Moran's best punch.
39:39 Still not out of the weeds, though.
39:41 I'll say that.
39:42 Until their last bell rang, that's when he was out of the reeds.
39:44 But, man, look at the footwork and spinning around Moran
39:48 and landing his shots.
39:50 That's impressive stuff right there.
39:51 Stop, stop, stop.
39:52 Hey!
39:53 [shouting in Spanish]
39:56 Don't push him down, okay?
39:58 Let's go.
39:59 Ortiz, we're bringing a little bit to those dirty tactics
40:03 that he was using early on in this fight.
40:06 Then he became the technician that we're used to.
40:10 [shouting in Spanish]
40:15 An excellent performance from Jermaine Ortiz.
40:19 Had to overcome some adversity during different spells of the fight,
40:24 but he also caused adversity for Antonio Moran.
40:29 And he continues to spin and pop here in the 10th round.
40:34 You can't do that.
40:36 He shouldn't be able to do that.
40:37 No, you can't do that.
40:38 You know--
40:39 You can if the referee allows you to do that, unfortunately.
40:42 But you can't do that.
40:45 You shouldn't do that.
40:46 No.
40:47 You shouldn't be allowed to do that.
40:49 Yes.
40:50 Let him go, let him go.
40:51 But he is being allowed to do that tonight.
40:53 [shouting in Spanish]
40:59 Oh, nice counter right from Ortiz.
41:02 He made Moran expend all that energy only to be caught by a quick right.
41:08 [shouting in Spanish]
41:21 You see the fatigue being shown by Antonio Moran,
41:25 and it's just been an excellent performance from Jermaine Ortiz here down the stretch.
41:33 [shouting in Spanish]
41:37 [bell dings]
41:38 [shouting in Spanish]
41:40 The fight is over.
41:41 Jermaine Ortiz and Antonio Moran went at it for 30 minutes of action here in Corpus Christi, Texas,
41:48 and they continue to set the bar high for what will be an excellent fight.
41:54 Let's take a look at some of that action that we saw, Tim, and it was really enjoyable.
41:59 Yeah, I'm glad to see Ortiz back.
42:01 I mean, it was a good fight.
42:02 I mean, both fighters are landing really good, solid shots on each other.
42:06 They hurt each other throughout the course of this fight.
42:08 You know, Ortiz, a little bit more boxing ability, you know, very athletic, you know, uses skill very well.
42:15 Switching southpaw to orthodox to confuse Moran.
42:18 Moran, you know, he landed some efficient body shots here and there,
42:21 but, you know, it was really hard for him to make those right adjustments to be able to corner Ortiz
42:28 and to be able to stop his rhythm, you know,
42:30 because once Ortiz got going, there was no stopping him, honestly.
42:34 You know, he's been out of the ring for 11 months, you know, so I'm familiar with the ring for some time,
42:40 but after four rounds, he heated up, and you saw the finish, man.
42:43 It was a good finish, good, strong finish by him, good punching power he showed.
42:47 He showed good speed.
42:49 I want to see him back at 135.
42:51 If he can get down to 135 and face one of those guys there, one of those young lions,
42:55 or even get a title shot, I wouldn't mind seeing him in the ring with anybody in the top, I would say top ten.
43:01 Absolutely. I mean, I think this is a young man who has proven.
43:04 The question will be, as Mark Krueger alluded to, is can he make 135 pounds still,
43:11 and I do believe he can for the big fight.
43:14 You know it's a big fight when Mark Chinook is in the center of the ring with the official decision.
43:18 Go ahead, Mark.
43:19 Ladies and gentlemen, after ten rounds here inside the American Bank Center at Corpus Christi,
43:25 we go to the judges' scorecards for the official decision.
43:29 Chris Flores scores the bout 99-91.
43:34 Robert Hoyle has it 98-92, and Steve Weisfeld has it 97-93.
43:41 All in favor of your winner by unanimous decision,
43:46 Jermaine "The Technician" Ortiz!
43:52 Excellent win for Jermaine Ortiz, 11 months away from the ring,
43:56 and he comes back to look impressive against Antonio Moran.