That straight right hand was a shocker. He still threw primarily wide shots in the fight, and telegraphed them. He has a sort of awkward effectiveness, Mayorga-like but without the same caliber chin. We can't change our perceptions of him based on 1 straight punch thrown, when the majority are winged. Though I was impressed with his left hook, the way he timed Ortiz coming in.
I'll have to watch it again, but I saw him as being slower, less accurate, and less skilled. He's also a blatant cheater, those were hard shots he threw consistently to the back of Ortiz's head. He fights with more skill and intelligence than expected - like Mayorga - but let's not get ahead of ourselves here, clearly Ortiz is the better talent and the more schooled boxer.
I agree about Trinidad ending Vargas, and another young fighter in David Reid. Those careers were rushed.
If Ortiz is as smart as we think he is, he's probably realized that his opponents can't earn a paycheck any better way. They are getting TV dates against a big-name opponent, and consciously chose to get knocked out for that money rather than mow a few thousand lawns. And no matter how reluctant you are to hurt someone BEFORE getting into the ring, anyone with sense knows you have to shut off your conscience once the bell rings, because your opponent is there to hurt you. Kill or be killed. Feel guilty before and after. A good example is Roy Jones.
The Ring wrote an article about the Freitas-Corrales bout, and summed it up beautifully: Freitas quitting doesn't make him any less of a man, but it does make him less of a fighter. Ortiz doesn't lack character as a human, but clearly his character as a fighter is worth questioning. The boxing media wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't scrutinize him.
