Despite his controversial defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2011, Victor Ortiz believes one other opponent posed a greater threat than the self-proclaimed ‘Best Ever’.
Having just dethroned Andre Berto with a unanimous decision victory, the American entered his clash with Mayweather as the WBC world welterweight champion.
Ortiz, however, was an almighty underdog against the generational great, who banked the first three rounds of their contest with relative ease.
The champion then resorted to launching intentional head butts, to which referee Joe Cortez responded by docking a point in round four.
With Cortez looking in the opposite direction, Mayweather simply took advantage of the situation and knocked his opponent out, with Ortiz later accused of not protecting himself at all times.
For that, it seems he largely had himself to blame, but either way, Ortiz remains convinced that Mayweather was not his toughest opponent.
Instead, the 39-year-old has told Pro Boxing Fans that Berto was the man to pose the most problems.
“The hardest guy I fought was Andre Berto, man. He hit so hard with both hands – speedy, accurate. That guy was not one to toy with.
“Both wars were hectic. Hats off to Berto.”
After winning their first encounter, Ortiz suffered a fourth-round stoppage defeat in their 2016 rematch, shortly after Berto lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather.
Elsewhere in his career, Ortiz also faced Marcos Maidana, who was generally considered a more ferocious puncher than both Berto and Mayweather.
Sure enough, the rugged Argentinian won by stoppage in round six of their 2009 encounter, back when both eventual champions were campaigning at 140lbs.
