Ortiz and Khan, the real deal and the entertainer?

I saw a very talented prospect last night on the De La Hoya v Forbes undercard. I had heard of Ortiz before tonight and although knowing quite a bit about him from ESB, the forums and other boxing press, this was the first time I had seen him fight.

The thing that surprised me the most was his maturity at such a tender age. Despite being put down with flash punch, he didnt panic and instead composed himself and then worked his way out of trouble. All boxers get caught at some point and its not something he should be judged on. He done a good job and came through with flying colours.

What interests me is how people see him compared to Amir Khan. For me Khan is the more exciting boxer and his speed will be a massive asset. But Ortiz's style is much more suited to the proffessional game and at Light-Welterweight he has a solid frame. Khan's style at lightweight is brilliant but he will have to move up at some point and I'm concerned that he may get knocked out against some heavy hitters.

At the moment I'd say Khan is slightly ahead of Ortiz in terms of pure talent, but Ortiz's style will see him get the chance to fight for a number of titles. If Khan doesnt take his first chance at a belt then a second chance could be a long time coming.

I have outlined in another post that I think Khan would benefit from being coached by someone like Roger Mayweather, I am worried though that without such coaching he could turn into another unfulfilled talent like Naseem. Ortiz however seems to be much more tactically astute and doesnt rely on his raw ability as much as Khan does.

Either way, both men have an exciting future!

 

Yeah I remember reading that in an Ortiz interview last year sometime.

Dont think it's something that would really be an indicator though if the two were to meet. They must have been about 15 years old or something at the time?

I hadnt started the thread with the intention of who would win head to head because I dont think they'd come together for a while yet. But more which is the more promising prospect.

To say

Is a little dramatic i think though. He does need to step up the quality of his opposition, but he has looked good in each fight with the exception of one round against Limond.

 

I agree but he's 21 and 17-0. To put him in against any of those at the moment would be too soon! Let him rack up another 5 victories with increasingly impressive opponents and then put him in against Campbell. As for Diaz, Pac, Casa and Kat - I think they'd all be dangerous for Khan at any stage in his career provided Pac and Casa dont burn out by the time Khan is ready.

 

Count me on that hand!

He now needs either some ex-world champs/contenders to fight against or some other prospects. I'd say Romanov would be ideal at this stage. A boxer who can give Khan a bit of a test but is also fairly easy to hit.

After that Anthony Peterson to raise Khan's profile in the states and then maybe onto Edner Cherry before fighting Raheem and then Santa Cruz to set him up for big title fights.

Even that though may seem a little too steep a learning curve, particularly between Cherry and Raheem. He does need to step up but for Khan, time is on his side!