Jamaine Ortiz knew what he was getting himself into. He also heard all of the dubious voices warning him of what was to come.
Teofimo Lopez can sometimes come across as incoherent. His words are also often laced with hubris. Still, whether you like him personally or not, the 26-year-old is viewed as one of the best fighters in the world. So, naturally, a matchup between them heavily favored Lopez. Ortiz though, smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He never needed anyone to believe in him, all he wanted was a fair shake. Ultimately, he doesn’t believe he received one.
On a rare Thursday night card, Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) danced on the outside and rumbled when given the opportunity. Yet, even with Lopez swinging at air all night, Ortiz was flummoxed when the three judges sitting ringside gave their final verdict, a unanimous decision win for Lopez.
As Ortiz slinked back to the locker room, he replayed the night over and over in his mind. When he looks in the mirror, he sees a markless face staring back at him. At this point, he has no choice but to accept the final outcome but all in all, he simply can’t wrap his mind around an unjustified loss.
“They seen me give him a boxing clinic,” Ortiz told Tha Boxing Voice. “He couldn’t touch me. He couldn’t land not one of his big shots on me.”
This is now the second time in the last 18 months that Ortiz was given what he considers the short end of the stick. In October of 2022, a close showdown against Vasiliy Lomachenko went the other way. While that was difficult to get over, his shortcomings against Lopez is even more disheartening.
On one end, Ortiz performed well enough to earn another shot on the big stage. On the other end, however, he has a hard time figuring out when he’ll be given another chance.
“I don’t know, go back to the drawing board.”