Showtime's new "All Access" series, which debuts tonight at 10 p.m. EDT, was supposed to bring you the story behind a June 23 rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto. Instead, it's just about Victor Ortiz -- although now there's a new wrinkle to the story.
Ortiz will face Josesito Lopez on June 23, live on Showtime from Staples Center in Los Angeles. But he needs a win (or a draw, if we're being honest and not selling a fable) that night if he is to move on to a now-signed September 15 Showtime pay-per-view bout with Mexican phenom Canelo Alvarez.
Ortiz vs Lopez, with all respect to Lopez, is not much of a story. Ortiz taking a step toward Canelo is. Canelo vs Ortiz is a wonderful fight on paper, a great matchup between two young guys who have a lot to prove still. Canelo is still on the rise, or at least that's the plan. Ortiz, as the preview above suggests, is looking for redemption after a loss to Floyd Mayweather last year.
But Ortiz does have to get past Lopez. Most expect he will, and few expect it to be any significant challenge. Lopez, though, has a career-making opportunity on his hands. Expect him to show up and come for this one with all he's got. Stranger things have happened. Frankly, stranger things happen every year in boxing.