Jamaine Ortiz goes up against Teofimo Lopez in the main event live from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 8. Making his first attempt to become world champion, once-beaten contender of Worcester, Massachusetts is confident in his victory against the defending WBO junior welterweight champion of Brooklyn, New York.
27-year-old Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) is coming off the win by unanimous decision against Antonio Moran last September. 26-year-old former unified lightweight champion Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) is making the first defense of the belt that he claimed against Josh Taylor last June.
“I can do a lot of things in the ring that people haven’t seen yet,” Ortiz said following a recent training session at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas. “On February 8, people are going to see what I can do in there. When the opposition is better, I fight better, and I believe Teofimo Lopez is going to bring the best out of me. I’m going to show my skills and athleticism on fight night.”
“I think I’m more athletic and have more speed than Teofimo. I have a better jab and movement. I have a lot of advantages that will show when we fight.”
“I’m ready to be world champion. I didn’t want any more tune-up fights. I demanded the big fights, and this is a big fight. I’m here to build a legacy in the sport, and this is a legacy fight.”
“I feel great at 140 pounds. I don’t need to sacrifice as much as I did when I fought at lightweight. I’m going to feel a lot better in the ring, and that is going to show in my performance on February 8.”
In the co-feature to Lopez vs Ortiz, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) of Norfolk, Virginia takes on two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico. The pair squares off in a 10-round bout at lightweight.