Ortiz nears pinnacle after arduous climb

Victor Ortiz claims he has been to hell -- personally and professionally.

So, if he successfully defends his recently won WBC welterweight title by handing Floyd Mayweather Jr. his first professional defeat Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, would that be heaven?

"What do you think?" Ortiz said.

Though a victory clearly would rank as the pinnacle of his career, it's hard to tell if the 24-year-old Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 knockouts) has enjoyed the bright glare of the spotlight during the run-up to the fight, his first pay-per-view headline bout.

One minute, Ortiz is smiling, laughing, embracing the moment. The next, he's bitter, angry and sullen.

His mood swings notwithstanding, what Ortiz has done to turn around his career and gain this opportunity -- his purse Saturday: $2.5 million -- is inspiring.

The Garden City, Kan., native overcame a harsh childhood in which he was abandoned by both his parents when he was 7 and ultimately found an escape in boxing. He began fighting at 12, reached the 2004 Olympic Trials at 17, turned pro that year and quickly became one of Golden Boy Promotions' rising stars.

At one point Ortiz was 25-1, with the defeat an early-career disqualification against Corey Alarcon.

On June 27, 2009, Ortiz got his first title shot, facing hard-hitting Argentinian Marcos Maidana for the WBA interim junior welterweight belt. Ortiz was stopped in the sixth round, and clearly wasn't himself -- with good reason.

Two weeks before the fight, he had suffered a hairline fracture in his left wrist. He took a cortisone shot, which was illegal, to deal with the pain.

Ortiz's heart also was aching because he was involved in a squabble with his sister and brother -- "My only family." Additionally, he allegedly was struggling to make the 140-pound limit, something Ortiz has repeatedly denied.

Nevertheless, Ortiz had to restart his career in the wake of his loss to Maidana. He has come back strong by going 4-0-2, culminating with a sensational 12-round unanimous decision over Andre Berto on April 6 to win the WBC welterweight belt.

"I love having that belt," Ortiz said. "I plan to keep it for a long, long time."

Whether he can hang onto it depends on whether he can dominate Mayweather as no one else has been able. The oddsmakers are putting little value in Ortiz's belt; he's a 6-1 betting underdog.

Ortiz is 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, who is 41-0 with 25 knockouts but hasn't fought for 16 months. Ortiz doesn't lack incentive, because a win might move him to the head of the line for an even bigger payday against Manny Pacquiao next year.

"I don't see myself as a champion. I'm still hungry," Ortiz said. "Mayweather talks about how 41 guys have tried and 41 guys have failed. But none of those 41 guys are me.

"He's a person who likes to talk. But assassinations are silent."

As Ortiz prepares for the biggest moment of his career, he does so with the belief that nothing Mayweather says or does can be worse than what he endured during his youth.

"I have no regrets. Everything happens for a reason," Ortiz said. "The media killed me for two years after I lost to Maidana. They shut me out. It was, 'Victor Who?' Nobody gave me a shot to come back. Two years of getting beat up and harassed by the media. It's rough.

"But I'm in a great place. I have nothing to lose. Mayweather has had his time. I'm taking the torch from him."

■ NOTES -- Both sides have engaged in gamesmanship. Mayweather has tried to irritate his opponent by inviting Ortiz's former trainer, Robert Garcia, to the fight along with Brandon Rios. Garcia is not on speaking terms with his brother, Danny, who is Ortiz's current trainer, and Rios was once a close friend of Ortiz. ... Ortiz's camp accused Mayweather of illegal tactics and notified Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer that it wants Joe Cortez, Saturday's referee, made aware of them before the fighters' meeting today before the weigh-in at 2:45 p.m. at the Grand Garden. ... In a four-round undercard bout, local lightweights Kyrone Butler and Cassius Clay will meet in each fighter's pro debut.

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