Jamaine Ortiz was bitterly disappointed with his loss to WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on Thursday night. He believed he’d done enough to deserve a victory at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The three judges gave it to the champion, scoring it 117-111, 115-113, and 115-113.
People watching at ringside and at home seemed to be split, with many feeling that Ortiz (17-2-1, 8 KOs) had moved too much and hadn’t done enough to take the WBO title from the champion Teofimo.
Ortiz had said going into the fight that he needed a knockout to win, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that he lost a decision. What’s apparent is Ortiz didn’t even attempt to knock Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) out tonight because he was too focused on not getting hit.
Ortiz: “I Was Making Him Miss”
“I stuck to the game plan. I listened to my corner and my team. I was doing good, I believed I was winning. That’s what I believe. I think I won the fight,” said Jamaine Ortiz to ESPN Boxing following his loss to WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
“What can I say? I came up on the short end of the stick again. I just felt that he couldn’t hit me. I was making him miss all night,” Jamaine continued about his disappointing loss to Lopez.
“I was countering; I was making him miss, I was hitting him with the jab, with the check hook. I just feel he wasn’t landing no shots on me,” said Ortiz.
Disagreement with Wide Scorecard
“I thought the 115-113 either way could have been a close scorecard. What did you think about that 117-111?” said ESPN commentator Bernardo Osuna.
“117-111, I don’t think nobody would agree to that,” said Jamaine Ortiz. “Either way, him or me, 117-111 is just ridiculous.”
Ortiz Vows to Stay True, Seek Future Title Shot
“Where do you go from here with the lessons that you learned tonight, the fact that the judges didn’t see it go your way? Do you need to change your style? Do you need to stay true to who you are?” said Osuna.
“I always stay true to who I am. Obviously, I’ll go back to the drawing board, make some adjustments, and come back for another title shot,” said Ortiz.
