Victor Ortiz: Dancing Inside the Ring and Out

March 8, 2013, 4:12 pm

Victor Ortiz has spent his life winning fights by using his feet to move in the boxing ring, and now he’ll have a chance at a title by way of moving his feet on the ballroom floor. The former WBC welterweight champion is slated to appear on the 16th season of Dancing with the Stars, where he will be paired with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold. Ortiz joined the BFT Friday to discuss his career and his upcoming appearance on the popular dance show.

Ortiz may be appearing on the 16th season of DWTS, but he’s known about the show since his friend Mario Lopez was featured in the inaugural season. The former WBC champion also revealed that he was actually approached about appearing on the show after his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2011, but had to decline after joining several training camps that ran consecutively. Eventually, after having his jaw broken and deciding to not fight for an extended time to aid the healing process, Ortiz was able to get casted for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. When asked if his footwork training for boxing helped him at all with his dance steps, Ortiz revealed that there was no comparison.

“Boxing absolutely has no comparison and hasn’t helped me one bit in dance,” said Ortiz. “So I guess all the rehearsals and everything – they’re going to have to pay off because Lindsay has been killing me.”

As the conversation transitioned to his boxing career, Ortiz was asked about his favorite fight to date. Ortiz ended up choosing his victory over Andre Berto for the WBC Welterweight Championship because he was such an underdog and the fact that Berto was previously undefeated.

When asked about the finish to his fight with Mayweather Jr., in which Mayweather knocked down Ortiz right after the referee called time back in, Ortiz said he wouldn’t ever agree in calling Mayweather “a true champion.”

“You don’t do that kind of stuff,” said Ortiz. “I had my hands down, looking at the referee, [then] get punched [and] I go down.”

“But life goes on. I’m too positive of a person to sit back and wallow over that, so I’m fine,” he added.

As to how long he’ll keep boxing after appearing on DWTS, Ortiz said that when he hangs up his gloves, he’ll do it on his terms.

“The day I’m quitting the sport, I’m quitting the sport – I’m not going to let the sport quit me.”

To learn more about Ortiz on DWTS, check out the show’s official website.

To listen to the entire interview, click below:

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