He ruled the silver screen and the squared circle, but he is back for more. Victor Ortiz finally makes a comeback to the boxing ring, a place he has cherished for almost two decades. He owes everything to the sport of boxing, his splendid rise to fame, a place in history books, and a face that remains in fans’ minds whether you watch him fight inside the ring or in movie halls. So, the American boxer is back to feeling right at home when he faces Rodrigo Damian Coria next. But will he pick up from what he left the last time, or will his growing age stir him to a rude awakening?

The fans will fight out when the two fight it out and try to put on a show for the fans on August 24 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The fight, which acts as a supporting act to the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. John Gotti III rematch, promises fans a feeling of nostalgia and a classic clash between a puncher and a technician. Before the two stand in the center of the ring and go for an eight-round action, let’s have a look at how they stack up.

Victor Ortiz vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria: A Tale of Tape

You look at Ortiz, and you see a fighter who dedicated his life to boxing and fought everyone who came his way. But at 37, he has already gone past his prime. However, the fans fondly remember the Kansas native for his aggressive approach and power punching, which allowed him to rack up an impressive record of 33-7-3 with 25 KOs. Ortiz’s KO ratio of 75.76% neatly sums up his career, where he tore apart and broke down his opponents with relentless pressure and heavy-handed punches.

You have one look at the Southpaw boxer and realize he is not the tallest of boxers at 5’9″ (175 cm) and doesn’t boast long levers with a reach of 70.0″ (178 cm). So he tried to pack more power behind his punches to make up for his size advantage. And in contrast, stands Coria, who has built a reputation as a journeyman. At 25, the Argentinian boxer has some years to add more weapons to his arsenal. It seems he tries to employ every trick in his bag, but somehow comes short when it matters the most. After going through the jubilant phase of winning the WBO Latino super welterweight belt and picking up three consecutive wins, Coria lost the fight to Milan Prat and dropped to 13-6 with two KOs.

But the San Luis native has what it takes to rebound from such situations. He has done it before, and you can bank on his technical acumen to do it. That also means you have to witness him take the fight to the distance and outwit the foe instead of bamboozling him. His KO ratio of 15.38% also paints a similar picture. In addition, Coria holds a size and height advantage, as he stands tall at 5’10” (178 cm) and weighs 153.0 lbs (69.4 kg), compared to Ortiz’s 151.8 lbs (68.8 kg). Will it be enough for him to rise to the occasion in the biggest fight of his career and sway the fans?

What can you expect from the fight?

As it’s an exhibition fight, you can expect both fighters to let go of their hands and fight aggressively. Particularly, Ortiz has carved out an image of being a crowd-pleasing fighter who uses his effective straight lefts and angles to wreck damage on his rivals. ‘Vicious’ also uses a high guard to shield himself while unloading punches. But he lacks lateral movement and reflexes because of his focus on more power, and these have further taken a hit after putting his body on the line for two decades.

You factor in his inactivity for two years, and when you dig deep, he has only fought twice in the last 6 years. The concerns about ring rust are real and could affect his performance. He has to pit his experience against Coria’s conditioning and ring generalship, which have outlasted most of his competitors. And ‘El Zurdo’ knows he lacks explosive power, but makes the ground in quickness and footwork to escape the hitting arc of his opponents and land precise and volume punches of his own. In a nutshell, it’s a showdown with different styles and different skill sets, and you can’t expect anything but a mouthwatering contest.

What do you make of this coming fight between Victor Ortiz and Rodrigo Damian Coria? Who do you think will leave the arena as a victor? Let us know in the comments below.