I’m from New England, Massachusetts to be specific. So the Jamaine Ortiz news is good news to me.
Pretty early in the Jimmy Burchfield promoter run, I attended his shows in Rhode Island.
I’ve seen his commitment to the sport over the decades.
So, I must admit, I hold a lingering rooting spirit for New England boxing. That’s why I was happy to see the news, that CES’ Jamaine Ortiz signed on with Top Rank in a co promotional deal.
Here is a release sent out by CES, trumpeting the development:
Jamaine Ortiz Signs Co-Promotional pact with Top Rank; returns on Taylor vs. Lopez card at MSG
CES Boxing is pleased to announce that top lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz has signed a co-promotional agreement with Top Rank Boxing.
“The Technician,” who has built an impressive record of 16-1-1 with 8 knockouts under the CES Boxing promotional banner, returns to the ring on the ESPN+ undercard of the highly anticipated junior welterweight contest between WBO world champion Josh Taylor and former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez on June 10 at Madison Square Garden.
Ortiz hopes an explosive outing against an opponent yet to be announced leads to high profile showdowns against Top Rank’s vast stable of lightweights, including undisputed champion Devin Haney and rising superstar Shakur Stevenson.
Jamaine Ortiz Offers Thanks
“It feels great to join a stable that has created so many Hall-of-Fame champions,” stated Jamaine Ortiz. “I’m looking forward to becoming their next one. It's been a long journey fighting my way up to get the respect I deserve. With Top Rank working with CES, I’m now hoping for bigger and better fights.”
The 27-year-old Ortiz is familiar with some of those top names, as his biggest win came last May against former WBO Super Featherweight champion Jamel Herring before losing a close points decision against former unified lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko at Madison Square Garden in October.
The Worcester, MA native of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent is excited to redeem himself on June 10 in the same arena, as he looks to showcase his skills on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.
“It feels good to be back in New York to get some redemption after the loss to Lomachenko,” explains Jamaine Ortiz. “I gained many fans that night and a lot of people thought I won. People know I’m the real deal now. I’m motivated to improve and take over the lightweight division. I only took 10 days off after that fight and went straight to the gym. I’m coming to make a statement on June 10th that I’m not to be played with.”
What Could Be Next For Jamaine Ortiz?
With this new co-promotional deal in place and his upcoming fight on June 10th, the stars are aligned for Jamaine Ortiz to reach his goals at the pinnacle of the lightweight division and beyond.
“I want the world championship at 135 and then move up to 140,” declares Jamaine Ortiz. “I’d like to challenge the Haney-Lomachenko winner for all the belts. If Haney wins and moves up, I’d like to fight for one of the vacant belts and then unify with the other champions.”
Taylor-Lopez will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING
Founder/editor Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson.
The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999.
Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.