Victor Ortiz will make his return to the ring after over two years of inactivity when he faces Argentinian journeyman Rodrigo Damian Coria on August 24 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The eight-round junior middleweight bout will be the co-main event to the exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA fighter John Gotti III, which headlines a card that will air live on DAZN.
Ortiz (33-7-3, 25 knockouts) of Ventura, Calif. hasn’t fought since May of 2022, when he got off the canvas against the unknown Todd Manuel to win a unanimous decision on the David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux card.
The former WBC welterweight titleholder, now 37, has fought many of the top fighters in the sport, holding wins over former champions Nate Campbell, Andre Berto and Vivian Harris, but his highest profile fight came in 2011, when he was knocked out in four rounds by Mayweather in a bout memorable for Ortiz’s intentional head butt attempt that was immediately proceeded by the knockout punch.
Ortiz has fought just two times in the past six years, with his other bout being a unanimous decision loss to another former champion, Robert Guerrero, in August of 2021.
“Thanks to my dear Mexico for bringing your son FROM THE OTHER SIDE! Very grateful for all the support and how they have received me!,” the Mexican-American Ortiz wrote on his Instagram account.
Coria (13-6, 2 KOs) of Cordoba, Argentina is a 25-year-old southpaw who lost decisions to Brian Norman Jr. and Peter Dobson, the two most notable opponents he has faced so far. His biggest win came in August of 2023, when he won a split decision over the previously unbeaten Marco Garcia for the WBO Latino title at 154 pounds.
Coria last fought in February, losing a decision to Milan Prat in Paris.
The post Victor Ortiz ends two-year layoff, faces Rodrigo Damian Coria on August 24 in Mexico City appeared first on The Ring.
