Victor Ortiz boxed Floyd Mayweather but names opponent who was ‘much better’

Victor Ortiz doesn’t consider Floyd Mayweather to be the best opponent he has ever faced.

That distinction is reserved for the man he shared the consensus 2011 Fight of the Year with: Andre Berto.

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Both men were sent tumbling to the canvas twice in an enthralling brawl that saw Ortiz snatch the WBC welterweight title from Berto via unanimous decision.

Ortiz would then drop the green and gold strap five months later to Mayweather under controversial circumstances.

In the fourth round of the bad-tempered bout, Ortiz landed an intentional headbutt, resulting in referee Joe Cortez stepping in and taking a point.

But as Ortiz turned apologetic and embraced Mayweather, he was caught by a crisp left hook and follow-up right hand that rendered him unconscious.

The ending left a bad taste in Ortiz’s mouth, which perhaps explains his overlooking of Mayweather’s obvious qualities.

“He (Mayweather) is not the best opponent I’ve faced. Hands down not,” Ortiz told talkSPORT.com.

“The best opponent that I faced was Andre Berto; he was much better.

“Andre Berto is a top pound-for-pound king. He put me down, I put him down, he got up, he put me down again.

“This man showed everything: quality, heart, skill. You name it, he’s got it.

“Someone like Floyd, he’s got what? a counter, running?

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“That year, I bought him some sprinting strikes at the press conference.

“My brother got him a box of tampons, too. But Andre Berto is special. I have the utmost respect for him.

“He’s got power in both hands; he’s the whole package. Someone with Floyd can’t compete with that.”

While Ortiz insists that Mayweather couldn’t hold a candle to Berto, ‘TBE’ ended up outclassing the Haitian hitman in the penultimate bout of his glittering 50-0 career.

Seven months later, Berto rebounded by knocking out Ortiz in a rematch in Carson, California.

The crushing defeat marked the end of Ortiz’s time at the top.

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