Here's another vid I uploaded to my new Youtube channel, highlights of the Toweel-Ortiz bantamweight title scrap: Part 1: [yt]sHhKoVElk8I[/yt] Part 2: [yt]fCzLjuFDDDw[/yt] This fight was essentially the bantam equivalent of the first Ali-Spinks match - an established great, long-reigning (but aging) champion upset and dethroned by a young upstart with only a handful of pro fights. Ortiz may have been the best bantam champ ever IMO. At his peak, he was a skilled boxer who could mix it up on the inside, similar to Barney Ross. For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's footage of him a few years earlier when he was much closer to his prime, breaking down a very good contender in Luis Castillo (uploaded by our own southpawjab): Part 1: [yt]NziOfM_Abow[/yt] Part 2: [yt]qu98_XGz0nQ[/yt] Even at the time of this fight with Castillo, Ortiz was already about 30 years old. By the time he fought Toweel, he was 34 and had held the title for nearly a decade, making a record setting 19 defenses through two reigns. Quite understandably, ch!nks had begun to show in his armor in recent years. He had lost his title on a big upset to Harold Dade, although regaining it, and he had been busted up and stopped for the first (and only) time in his long career in a non-title fight with Manny Ortega. He no longer had the same quickness and fire that had typified his earlier fights, and was now fighting in spurts and picking his spots in very un-Ortiz like fashion. Meanwhile, South Africa's Toweel had been an amateur phenom and was pegged by his countrymen as a surefire future champ from the moment he turned pro. In just the few (about 10 or 15) pro fights that he'd had, he'd already won a number of regional titles at bantam and feather. Challenging Ortiz before his countrymen, he used his superior jab and workrate to maintain a points lead throughout a competitive battle. Ortiz had hoped to wear out Toweel and come on late to take the fight, but his plan backfired as Toweel never faded and was able to maintain the same pace from start to finish. This loss basically marked the end of Ortiz's career as a top tier competitor. He suffered a string of losses afterward and quickly fell from the rankings, ultimately retiring a few years later. Meanwhile, Toweel went on to be a formidable champion, making several successful defenses of his title. In one of his defenses, vs. Danny O'Sullivan, he reportedly scored 14 knockdowns, a record for a world title fight. Eventually, a combination of weight making and an eye injury caught up with him when he was shockingly blasted out in 1 round by challenger Jimmy Carruthers to end his title reign - and the first loss of his career. He made a gallant effort to win a rematch with Carruthers, but was stopped late. His weight problems forced him all the way up to lightweight, where he dropped a decision to Carmelo Costa in his only appearance in the US. Not long afterward he retired.
Great upload Sense, I always look forward to see what you'll put up for us next.:thumbsup It's a shame there'e not more Ortiz stuff out there.
Your video posts are quickly becoming a highlight for me. :good Ortiz at his best was a great fighter. I'd actually like (time permitting) to one day post about the Toweels...great fight family.
Nice post. I often think about Ortiz but never get around to making a thread on him. A truly great champion and arguably the best bantamweight. He's without question on par with, or greater than, Eder Jofre & Ruben Olivares. Started off patchy, ended his career with a few losses, but in the middle he was perfect. From 1941 to 1946, Ortiz went 44-1-1 (24), winning the bantamweight title and defending it fifteen times, the loss coming to Willie Pep and the draw against the slightly heavier Carlos Chavez who he'd beaten before. Of course, his career didn't end there as he went on to regain the title and defend it another four times and beat various contenders in non-title bouts.
His praises have already been sang here, but i'd like to chime in as well. Always rated him from what i've read as top 5 material at 118 pounds, all time of course. Then AlFrancis posted the Castillo fight a while back and we all saw how great a battler he was, an inside technician, can't remember (i'll watch it again) at what point, but he turns the tide in the fight at some point late on, changing the balance in aggression for the rest of the fight. When he stops him you get the feeling that he always knew if he was patient and just stuck to his fight, he'd ultimately win no matter what. Please keep these threads up if you are planning to M2S, they're great.
I've always felt Ortiz's competition was very underrated. Maybe none of them are ATGs perhaps, but there were some very good fighters that would be top contenders in any era. Castillo for example is a very unique and impressive-looking fighter IMO and would probably have been a tough match for almost any bantam champ. Ortiz fought him three times and stopped him each time.
