The undefeated, six-time world champion in five weight divisions, Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) remains boxing’s biggest attraction, wowing crowds and generating tremendous box office and pay-per-view numbers each time he steps into the ring. Three of his last four fights generated more than one million pay-per-view buys, including his record-shattering bout against Oscar de la Hoya in 2007, which generated 2.44 million buys, the highest performing pay-per-view event in history. In his last ring appearance on May 1, 2010, Mayweather dismantled Sugar Shane Mosley in a lopsided unanimous decision victory. Mayweather is no stranger to fighting on the traditionally boxing rich Mexican Independence Day weekend, as prior to his sensational win over Mosley, he took on Mexican boxing star Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, 2009, and beat his opponent in spectacular fashion. During his extraordinary career, he has amassed wins over world champions including Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.
In addition to his boxing accomplishments, Mayweather has become a crossover star, appearing in HBO®’s Emmy® Award-winning reality series “24/7? four separate times, providing cameras with an all access look at his training and personal life. His name never leaves the conscience of boxing or sports fans as news of his career continues to trend worldwide, a testament to his nearly 1.3 million Twitter followers, the latest indication of a famed person’s popularity.
Twenty-four-year-old “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) is the definition of a new and shining star. From a tumultuous childhood that left him in foster care at the age of 13 to a meteoric rise above obstacles to become a world champion, Ortiz’s story both in and out of the ring is one to be admired. Introduced to boxing by his father at the age of seven, Ortiz and his siblings soon had to deal with life on their own after both parents abandoned them when Ortiz was 12 years old. Resilient and determined to make something of his life, Ortiz found salvation in the ring and saw boxing as a way towards future success.
Ortiz’s grit and determination has shown up throughout his boxing career. A highly touted amateur, he turned pro in 2004 and has persevered through its highs and lows to become the champion he is today. He is currently riding a six-fight undefeated streak including his previously mentioned sensational win over Berto. The hard-punching southpaw came of age during their 12-round battle when he sent Berto to the canvas in round one, got off the canvas himself in the second round and survived a knockdown in the sixth round only to come back to drop Berto at the end of that round in a definite Fight of the Year candidate. Ortiz, a Ventura, Calif. resident who hails from Garden City, Kansas, also holds victories over former World Champions Carlos Maussa, Nate Campbell, Vivian Harris as well as high profile opponents Antonio Diaz, Mike Arnaoutis and Jeffrey Resto.
Both fighters have also agreed to drug testing under the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency protocol, which includes random blood and urine testing.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, Oscar de la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer, as well as concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, U2, ‘N Sync, Sting, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also is home to the annual Academy of Country Music Awards and the Frozen Fury NHL pre-season game which features the Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche.
The Mayweather vs. Ortiz pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.
