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After years and years of media back-and-forth and a well-known grudge between the two, Victor Ortiz and Brandon Rios look like they’re finally going to meet on August 4, when Premier Boxing Champions has a card on FOX from either California’s StubHub Center or somewhere in Texas.
Ortiz (32-6-3, 25 KO) and Rios (34-4-1, 25 KO) are both past their best days, but there’s still a lot of drama potential with this fight, as there is with more or less any fight involving either of them.
The 31-year-old Ortiz is coming off of a disputed draw with Devon Alexander, a fight many felt Alexander won, on February 17. That was his first notable fight since his 2016 rematch loss to Andre Berto, which was his first notable fight since a 2014 loss to Luis Collazo.
Ortiz has really never recovered from his biggest fight, a controversial KO loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2011. After that, he had his jaw broken by Josesito Lopez, and he’s only beaten marginal opposition since, going 3-4-1 in his last eight bouts.
Rios, 32, was knocked out by Danny Garcia on February 17, his first serious opponent since a 2015 loss to Tim Bradley. The former lightweight titleholder is 5-3 in his last eight, dating back to 2012.
If this fight actually comes together, how utterly disappointing would it be if it all goes down in normal fashion with nothing weird at all?