even though Ortiz is the greater lightweight, I actually like Arguello in this one because I think his own patient, pinpoint style would force Ortiz to be more aggressive than he would like... he simply can not use the jab here, Arguello would be punching from too far away, and of course the caveat with Arguello was that in order to get inside you had to get past those long shots and then the tall, lean bastard would shorten up that hook and cave your head in at close range... you either need firepower far superior to Carlos's or you need tremendous footspeed... Ortiz had fine footwork from a fundamental standpoint but he wasn't FAST fast, certainly not fast enough to try and slick his way past Arguello... I just see it as a lose-lose for Ortiz, none of his usually reliable variations would work consistently enough to get past Arguello's fundamental advantages in power and punching range Arguello by unanimous decision
First of all, great matching. Simply amazing no one appears interested. Ortiz has long been one of my favourites --- largely because I see him as just so under-rated. He's not all that often discussed among the great 135lbers --- & yet, to see him in his pomp, you could say he's one of the very best fighters ever to lace up a pair of gloves. Certainly of his generation, at least. The other guy fits that billing pretty handily too, as it happens. Perhaps Arguello's most formidable weapon was his great bodyattack, but Ortiz was no slouch here, either. Of course, Arguello had the range & power, & while I liked Ortiz's defense, Arguello was such a pin-point puncher. He was all precision & power. Could Ortiz work his body & take away some of that oomph? Many would say probably not, but I'm not so sure. It's dicey, but thinking of it, I might favour Ortiz just slightly. He was very good with ring positioning & adaptable. I think he eeks it out on points. Again, just such an under-sold & forgotten champion. His record is just outstanding. Better, for my money, than the more celebrated-Arguello's resume.
I'd pick Ortiz. Outside of Argello having the bigger firepower, I think Ortiz was the more well rounded of the two.
