It’s no exaggeration to say Jamaine Ortiz idolized Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Ortiz has watched all of Lomachenko’s skilled fights. He took notes each time the previous unified light-weight champion entered the ring. One of his most prized possessions is a pair of boxing gloves Lomachenko signed for him. He retains the gloves in his lounge.
“I think he’s a great fighter. He was one of those guys I idolized. He’s probably the fighter I saw the most when I was growing up,” mentioned Ortiz, the 26-year-old boxing pleasure of Worcester.
But Ortiz is not going to be carrying an autograph e book for Lomachenko to signal contained in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 29. He’ll be bringing his two fists and an unquenchable need to win the 135-pound combat when he trades punches with Lomachenko, a former world champion in three weight courses and one of many high beginner boxers of all-time.
“When you’re destined for greatness … I always knew I would fight him,” Ortiz mentioned. “It’s a dream come true to fight your idol. Who wouldn’t have wanted to fight (Floyd) Mayweather or (Mike) Tyson or (Muhammad) Ali? My whole mantra is staying ready and being prepared.”
It would be the largest stage Ortiz has been on. He plans to shine contained in the mecca of boxing.
The 5-foot-8 Ortiz is undefeated via 17 fights (16-0-1, 8 KO’s) and coming off a powerful 10-round resolution over ex-lightweight champ Jamel Herring with the NABF and USBA titles on the road. Make no mistake, although, Ortiz will enter the ring in Manhattan as an enormous underdog.
Lomachenko (16-2), who compiled an eye-popping 396-1 beginner file and received gold medals at two Olympics, would be the finest fighter Ortiz has fought. By a big margin.
“I’ve been kind of the underdog for a lot of my fights,” mentioned Ortiz. “It doesn’t matter. I think it’s more pressure on him. It’s no pressure on my part.”
His confidence is excessive after his victory over Herring.
“To me it was a great opportunity to fight a former world champion and a former Olympian,” he mentioned. “I stepped on the gas when I needed to. I always knew I was going to be a champion. That’s what I expect.”
Ortiz has a burning need to be a uncommon world champion who was born and raised in Massachusetts. (A pupil of the candy science, he notes that Marvin Hagler wasn’t raised in Brockton.) He hopes the “whole state of Massachusetts” will get behind him as he trains for the most important combat of his life.
He’s additionally carrying the hopes of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as his father and mom hailed from these respective international locations. One of seven youngsters, his father handed away when he was 15.
Ortiz had loads of buddies rising up in Worcester. But he lacked a connection to adults. That modified, at age 7, when he walked into the Worcester Boys & Girls Club for the primary time. It was love at first sight. He spent a lot time on the facility it’s a surprise he wasn’t charged lease.
“It really did change my life,” he mentioned.
That’s the place he met his first boxing coach, Carlos Garcia, and Ike McBride, the membership’s director.
“At that point the Boys & Girls Club was like a home. Those two really made it more like home, more family-like. At that age that’s what I wanted as a kid,” Ortiz mentioned.
Ortiz has seen Lomachenko’s ability and energy up shut. He was chosen to spar with him final yr for 5 weeks, in California, when the 34-year-old Lomachenko was getting ready to combat Richard Commey.
“It was just what I thought it was going to be,” Ortiz mentioned of sparring with Lomachenko thrice every week for greater than a month.
Few exterior the Worcester gymnasium he trains in, Camp Get Right Boxing Gym, count on Ortiz to tug off the upset. That doesn’t hassle Ortiz one bit. His coaching goes nicely. He plans to get in the most effective form of his life. And his primary fan, his 6-year-old daughter Amira, thinks her dad is the most effective fighter on the planet.
“I’m going to give him more than he expects. I’m going to win this fight,” he mentioned, his voice agency and barely above a whisper. “I’m making sure I’m not overtraining. That’s the only worry. I don’t want to get to that tipping point.”
His coach, Rocky Gonzalez, says he suggested Ortiz lately to take the coaching down a notch.
“I have the worry about Jamaine overtraining. He trains hard,” Gonzalez mentioned. “This is the biggest fight of his life. Dream fight. Against one of his idols. Madison Square Garden. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
On most days, after he drops Amira off at college, Ortiz steps into the ring at Camp Get Right Boxing Gym. It’s his completely satisfied place.
“Once I hit the gym everything else in life doesn’t exist,” he mentioned.
Those quiet moments, when he’s hitting the velocity bag or shadow boxing with nobody round, will put together him when he steps into the Madison Square Garden ring for the primary time. He says he’s received’t be in awe of his environment. Or his opponent.
Ortiz isn’t the one one who believes he can defeat Lomachenko.
“I think we’re going to shock everyone in the world. Everyone’s going to know Jamaine,” Gonzalez mentioned. “Jamaine is very strong and he can punch, but he likes to box. The knockouts will come. We’re not trying to fight Loma’s fight. We’ll fight our fight. A lot of people are counting us out, but we’re here. He knows he belongs here.”
Ortiz is blessed with film star seems to be. Now he’ll attempt to script a Hollywood ending in opposition to his idol.
Source: www.bostonherald.com