Jamaine Ortiz showed his class Friday night on Showtime.
The one-time amateur star outboxed and outworked a determined, but overmatched Nahir Albright to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round lightweight bout in Orlando, Florida.
The scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93. Boxing Junkie scored it 98-92 for Ortiz, eight rounds to two.
Ortiz (15-0-1, 8 KOs) ran into trouble in his previous fight, a draw against unbeaten Joseph Adorno this past April.
The 25-year-old from the Boston area cruised on Friday night, using his speed, polished skill set and work rate to control most of the fight against the capable Albright (14-2, 7 KOs).
Ortiz fought well from the outside, playing the sharpshooter. He had success inside, which was supposed to be Albright’s wheelhouse. And he danced at times, which left Albright clueless.
Albright rallied somewhat, digging deep to have his best rounds in the later rounds. However, he couldn’t get enough done to climb back into fight.
Ortiz said before the fight that he hoped a victory would lead to a 135-pound title eliminator even though this was his first 10-round fight. And he hopes to fight for a major title before the end of the year.
Those unfamiliar with Ortiz might’ve thought he was getting ahead of himself, particularly after the so-so performance against Adorno.
However, he looked like a bona fide contender on the “ShoBox: The New Generation” card. If he doesn’t get a title shot this year, it might not come long afterward.