Robert Guerrero and Victor Ortiz looked past it in lethargic bout

Welterweights Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero met in the ring after long layoffs on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Ugas, but they looked their age. 

The FOX pay-per-view Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugás fight card got off to a strong start on Saturday, Aug. 21. Then, 30-something fighters Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero stepped into the ring, and the exciting momentum building up to the main event came to a screeching halt.

Ortiz and Guerrero were both former world champions, but that was long ago. They’re both at the end of their careers and were evenly matched, but that’s not saying much at this point. They were placed in the penultimate bout to Pacquiao vs. Ugás, which looks like a bad decision in retrospect.

Guerrero (37-6-1, 20 KOs) is a four-division world champion but hadn’t fought since 2019. Between 2016-2017, he lost three fights in a row but came back to win three wins in a row against subpar opponents.

Ortiz (32-7-3, 25 KOs) had been out of the ring since 2018 due to a sexual assault case. The chargers were eventually dropped, but Ortiz’s career had rough spots from 2016-2018. He had one win, one loss, and a draw in that time.

Robert Guerrero got the win over Victor Ortiz by unanimous decision

Ortiz and Guerrero came out swinging in rounds 1 and 2, but as the fight went on, fatigue slowed them down, as did their age. Ortiz is 34, and Guerrero is 38. For most of the second half of the fight, Ortiz and Guerrero wrestled inside while throwing slapping punches that did little damage.

Their heads did more harm than their hands. A clash of heads opened up a cut over Ortiz’s right eye and badly swelled Guerrero’s left eye.

The wrestling and stifled blows continued through the 10th and final round. All three judges scored the bout 96-94 for Guerrero. It was a tepid performance from both men who are long past their best form.

You can’t fault them for trying to make a living, but it’s hard to see two former prime boxers in a deteriorated state. Hopefully watching this fight back will convince them to move on from the ring.