New York- Jamaine Ortiz proved he belonged in the ring with former three-weight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko Saturday night at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The 8th ranked lightweight got his opportunity and came close to spoiling the ring return of the former and undisputed champion.
Lomachenko, took a hiatus to secure the safety of family and friends in his worn torn country of the Ukraine and came out victorious with the 12-round unanimous decision. He could be next in line to challenge Devin Haney in his quest to regain the titles that he lost to Teomfimo Lopez.
Ortiz led with his jab in the opening round and was taken back in the third round. Ortiz, coming off a win over former champion Jamel Herring, scored points as two judges had the flight even after six rounds. Two judges, though, had Lomachenko winning the final six rounds. Lomachenko outlanded Ortiz, 125-122. Latinosports.com scored the fight 115-112 for Lomachenko.
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) said he looks forward to challenging Haney. The fight should happen next year. Both fighters are under the Bob Arum Top Rank promotional banner.
“I’m happy. I’m happy to come back in the ring and make this a great show,” Lomachenko said. “Thank you to my fans for the support. You know what motivated me. Four belts! Look, I’m ready. I’m ready for any option.”
“The fight to make in the lightweight division is Haney versus Lomachenko, and we will do everything we can to make the undisputed championship showdown that all fight fans want to see,” Arum said. “ They are the world’s premier lightweights, and it would be a fantastic battle.”
Ortiz was not available for post fight comments because of post fight evaluation per procedures of the New York State Athletic Commission. The soon to be 35-year old Lomachanko was not the fighter that once was considered the best pound-for-pound in boxing. He showed signs of inactivity and had difficulty throwing at all angles and landing his once and known potent punch.
OTHER RESULTS FROM RINGSIDE: Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (11-1, 7 KOs) the two-time Olympic gold medalist defeated late replacement Jose Matias Romero (26-3, 9 KOs) via ninth-round TKO to retain his USBA and WBO Global belts. Ramirez had his man in trouble in the first and seventh rounds, but the Argentina native refused to relent. In the ninth, Ramirez uncorked a left hand that staggered Romero and ended the one-way carnage.
Ramirez outlanded Romero in power punches, 129-32, including a 19-3 advantage in the ninth round. He is now targeting a featherweight world title shot in early 2023.
Jose Matias Romero (L) and Robeisy Ramirez (R) exchange punches during their featherweight fight at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on October 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
“We know that Matias is a fighter who is slick, who knows how to survive inside the ring, and that was his plan,” Ramirez said.” I hurt him early, but then we tried to get him out early. And then, Ismael Salas, who is my strategist… he is a chess master. He’s moving the pieces in there, and finally we were able to do it properly and get him out of there.
He added, “I think the result speaks for itself. I got the stoppage, sent a message, and in the end, if {Emanuel} Navarrete is no longer the champion at 126 pounds, if he’s fighting Oscar Valdez for the championship at 130 pounds, then I got next at 126, and I want that belt.”
Heavyweight: Richard Torrez Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) TKO 3 Ahmed Hefny (13-3, 5 KOs). In the evening’s final preliminary bout, Torrez joined his Olympic teammates in the win column. After a second-round stoppage and a pair of first-round knockouts to start his pro career, Torrez saw the third round for the first time. Hefny was knocked down with a left hand in the second, and the onslaught continued in the third until referee Arthur Mercante stepped in.
Featherweight: Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) UD Luis Lebron (18-5-1, 11 KOs), Scores: 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. U.S. Olympic silver medalist Ragan did what he does best, which is to use his well-schooled defense to offset his hard-charging foe. Lebron, the Puerto Rican power puncher,
Middleweight: Troy Isley (8-0, 4 KOs) UD 8 Quincy Lavallais (14-4-1, 9 KOs), Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73. Isley passed his first eight-round test with flying colors, nearly shutting out Lavallais, a six-year pro known for his iron chin.
Junior Welterweight: Tiger Johnson (6-0, 4 KOs) UD 6 Esteban Garcia (15-2, 7 KOs), Scores: 60-54 3x. Johnson’s three-bout knockout streak ended, but the Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympian gained much-needed experience in going the six-round distance for the first time in his career.
Middleweight: Nico Ali Walsh (7-0, 5 KOs) UD 6 Billy Wagner (5-3, 1 KO), Scores: 58-56 2x and 59-55. Ali Walsh received a lot of resistance from Montana native Wagner, who weathered an early storm and even appeared to stun the grandson of “The Greatest” at the end of the second round. Wagner could not sustain his early success, as Ali Walsh pressed forward in the final two rounds to secure the narrow victory.
JAKE PAUL CONTINUES HIS MISSION: The revelation and continued mission of Jake Paul as a professional fighter continued with a 8-round unanimous decision win over MMA champion Anderson Silva in a televised Showtime Boxing PPV event from Glendale, Arizona.
Fight Night Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva: Photo Esther Lin/Showtime
Silva, the 38-year old champion from Brazil made his debut as a pro fighter and was sent down with a punch from Paul in the final round. So where does Jake Paul go from here?
Though many in boxing are skeptical of Paul getting a championship opportunity, in this his sixth fight with 4 KO’s as a cruiserweight he remains a sensation and draws as over 14,000 fans cheered every punch.
Paul, the YouTube sensation who developed over a million followers, offered a challenge to MMA star Nate Diaz and also challenged Canelo Alvarez the unified super middleweight champion who has said that Paul is not a legitimate fighter.
Chances of a Paul and Alvarez fight are very slim, though in boxing it is never known. Just a few years ago, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. had a mega fight with UFC champion Conor McGregor, a fight that grossed millions in pay-per view revenue and at the box office.
First, though, Paul has to take on legitimate fighters before thinking or signing on to fight Alvarez. Until then, and with other fighters in line, Paul will have to wait and continue to prove his legitimate claim of changing the face of boxing and facing the likes of a Canelo Alvarez.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer @Latinosports.com. Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com Watch “Sports with Rich” live on Tuesday Nights at 8pm EST on The SLG Network/Youtube with Robert Rizzo Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify under The SLG Network.
