Jamaine Ortiz is excited about fighting in the main event on “ShoBox: The Next Generation” Friday night but he’s not surprised he landed there.
The lightweight prospect will be taking part in his first scheduled 10-rounder when he faces Nahir Albright on Showtime yet wants to fight for a world title this year and become the pound-for-pound king one day.
Yes, he thinks big.
“You have to think big,” he told Boxing Junkie. “If you don’t think big, if you think small, you’ll achieve less and be sad.”
Ortiz (14-0-1, 8 KOs) has lofty goals and pursues them with gusto inside and outside the ring.
The 25-year-old resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, started a business in which he buys and sells houses in part because he wanted to be in control of his own destiny, not work for someone else. And he invests in stocks.
Not many boxers – particularly ones as young as he is – can say they had a lucrative career before they hit their stride in the ring.
“When I was a kid I studied the greatest, the wealthiest people,” he said. “I saw what they did. And I tried to follow in their footsteps.”
That’s not his true love, however. He puts his business interests aside – relying on his partners to handle matters – when it’s time to fight. That sort of dedication is one reason he has also been successful in the ring.
Ortiz was a top amateur, advancing as far as the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016 before turning professional later that year. Among his amateur opponents: Teofimo Lopez and Jaron Ennis, who are notable pros today.
He said he held his own against both men. More important, sharpening his skills against such talented peers has allowed him to become a better fighter.
“It was just the experience,” he said. “As you can see those guys are top guys now. And I was in competition with them. There wasn’t too big of a difference in talent. I’m up and coming. Hopefully, I’ll fight in a title eliminator with [contender] Rolly Romero and then fight for a world title before the end of the year.”
Ortiz had another growth experience in his most recent bout, a scheduled eight-round bout against unbeaten Joseph Adorno in April of last year. The fighters battled to a majority draw but, again, Ortiz said the disappointment will serve him going forward.
The primary lesson learned in that fight: be patient, wait for your opportunities.
“I learned a lot from that fight,” he said. “I learned not to be so anxious. … I tried to do as much as I could in every round instead of taking my time. I made the fight a lot harder on myself than it to be.
“I’ve worked on my mistakes I made. I will be more patient, especially because I’ll be fighting 10 rounds.”
The world will see how Ortiz has progressed on Friday. He believes they’ll like what they see, a polished boxer-puncher who also has an entertaining style. And, yes, he fully expects to have his hand raised.
You don’t become pound-for-pound king if you don’t win consistently.
“Since I was young I wanted to be on the pound-for-pound list, the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter,” Ortiz said. “I want to be undisputed, a multi-weight division champion. I just wants to be a fighter that everyone will remember.”