Victor Ortiz: "My mother and my father, it was kind of odd how all that ended. I was seven years old. We just went to school one day. We got back from school, and my mom was gone. Kinda rough."
Temo Ortiz (Victor's brother): "My dad's an older Mexican, machismo type of guy. And he would just find anything to beat us up with. A stick, a 2x4 -- he's actually done that before. Extension cords, whatever."
Victor: "12 years old, he just left. I can best describe it as my brother and I were two stray dogs, just roaming around."
For those who don't know Victor Ortiz's backstory, this Ring Life featurette will fill you in. This is going to be the focus of the HBO promotion for Ortiz's side of the September 17 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, and while I do understand that boxing fans who have heard it ad nauseam over the last few years might be kind of worn out on the story, this is a bigger opportunity than Ortiz has ever had, and the story is one that can definitely captivate an audience. Whatever you think about Victor Ortiz -- and if you've been here, you know he's not my favorite personality in boxing -- the story needs to be told to those who do not know it. It is, in many ways, the ultimate boxer story. He has picked himself up in his personal life and his professional career, and here he is now on the grandest stage.