Commission scolds Ortiz, but grants license for Berto bout

What normally would have been a 30-second, rubber-stamp agenda item became a 50-minute inquisition Wednesday by the Nevada Athletic Commission, all because Victor Ortiz couldn't keep quiet.

Ortiz, a former WBC welterweight champion scheduled to fight Andre Berto on Feb. 11 at the MGM Grand Garden, was granted a one-fight conditional license in a unanimous vote by the five-member NAC -- but not before they worked him over for comments he made last month regarding his Sept. 17 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

In the video interview with secondsout.com, a boxing website, Ortiz said if he fought Mayweather again, he would deliberately head-butt him and break his nose. He had a point deducted for head-butting Mayweather early in the fourth round when they fought at the MGM Grand and was subsequently knocked out by Mayweather in the round.

"Basically, what the hell were you thinking?" commissioner Pat Lundvall asked Ortiz, who responded by saying he made a huge error in judgment and that he was wrong in what he did Sept. 17 and what he said Dec. 16.

"I'd like to have the chance to redeem myself and show you guys I'm not a dirty fighter," Ortiz told the commission.

NAC chairman Skip Avansino said to Ortiz that his comments "were analogous to someone saying that they'll commit a crime." Rolando Arellano, Ortiz's manager, promised the commission that Ortiz will behave. Commissioner Bill Brady responded with, "There can't be a repeat episode, or there'll be serious repercussions."

Along with granting Ortiz a license for the Berto fight, the commission is also withholding $100,000 from Ortiz's purse for Feb. 11 pending an investigation to see whether a complaint for disciplinary action should be made over the interview. The investigation, which will be made by NAC executive director Keith Kizer and assistant attorney general Christopher Eccles, should take about 10 days. If no further action is required, the money, part of the $1 million Ortiz is receiving for fighting Berto, will be returned to him.

Also, if Ortiz fights again in Nevada beyond Feb. 11, he'll have to reapply for a license and again appear before the commission.

"I'm just glad to have this behind me," Ortiz said after the lengthy hearing. "I knew they were going to have questions for me, and I was honest with them. I made a mistake, and I paid for it. But they treated me fairly, and that's all you can ask."

Ortiz promised Wednesday's trip to Las Vegas would not be a distraction in his preparation for Berto.

"Not at all," he said. "Everything's fine. We're moving forward and there'll be no excuses."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.