Former welterweight champion Victor Ortiz catches up with FightHub to talk about his upcoming rematch against Andre Berto playing out. In the midst of his usual goofball comments, Ortiz says he's back and wants to put a hurting on Berto. Check it out.
Ortiz on the focus of this training camp:
"The focus has been those big bags right there, the double end bag, the speed bag, jump ropes...to be honest with you it's a great fight. The guy comes hungry, again. The first fight he says he didn't arrive, it was a fluke. He had an excuse on top of an excuse on top of an excuse. Good for you. But April 30th I will remind him why I was victorious the first fight.
On making the change in his training camp from Indio to Ventura, CA:
"The thing is people have a very misconstrued misconception about the whole reality of things. Coach Joel Diaz, hey, he's got my respects, he's pretty great people...I love the camp, I just didn't like the environment. I wake up everyday, I go run with the boys on the beach with the mountainside. Even though I do that, I still come home, I get my rest in, I seclude myself, I'm responsible.
"But I was getting there [in Indio] like 'man, what's there to do today? I could probably walk to Starbucks, if I walk really slow I could probably kill about two hours.' And then I'd look at my time and I'm like 'man, I still got here in under an hour.' So I was just like 'I can't do this, man' so I left that camp and I went back to, for the first time, Coach Hoss as my actual main trainer. And Coach Hoss has been with me for a decade. That guy's been there when I fell to the ground, when people stepped on me, when they threw dirt on me, when they spit on me. So at this point in time, everything has been done to me.
"That man right there has been with me through everything. He's been to hell and back, shook hands with the devil and said 'this isn't for me, we're leaving.' So we're here once again and April 30th we're back."
On what he makes of Andres Berto's performance against Floyd Mayweather:
"I didn't watch the fight, I couldn't tell you...I don't need [to watch tape on Berto]. I'm not the type that sits there and watches boxing, this and that, I don't. I just listen to what coach says and here we go. We've got 12 rounds to figure it out.
"I'm not the same fighter I was five years ago. He's not the same fighter he was five years ago. So it's two different fighters in a whole new fight, in a whole new year, so hey, we're gonna bang it out."
On what's different about him now than five years ago:
"I think I've finally grew into my body. Like I said, my first fight with Berto I was a junior welterweight moving up to 147. I had to lift weights to make weight. Now I'm actually dieting, working hard, I don't really lift too much, but I'm coming down...my arms, everything, I just grew up a little bit."
On if he feels the fight will end earlier than the first:
"I believe so, yeah. We ain't going 12. I'm not trying to go no 12 with him - he talks too much!"