Ortiz fought Teofimo Lopez in February 2024 and gave him real problems. He was quicker. He threw combinations. Teofimo never fully settled in. A lot of fans thought Ortiz did enough to win, but the decision went the other way. That fight still matters.
Since then, Ortiz has fought three times and won all three. None were big fights. None moved him closer to a title. For a guy who nearly beat a top champion, the silence has been loud. That isn’t because Ortiz lacks ability. It’s because he’s dangerous.
Ortiz is a major talent who hasn’t been protected by matchmaking. No soft fights. No slow build. He stepped up, performed, and didn’t get rewarded. Fighters like that don’t get rushed into big opportunities. They get avoided.
If Ortiz ends up fighting Hitchins, it would be a serious jump in difficulty. Hitchins’ last fight was George Kambosos Jr., a pressure fighter who stays in front of you. Before that, the best win on his record is usually listed as Liam Paro, another fighter who doesn’t move much and lets exchanges develop. Ortiz doesn’t fight that way.
He moves more. He’s faster. He throws in combination and doesn’t wait for single shots. He makes opponents reset and rethink. Style-wise, he’s closer to Shakur Stevenson than anyone Hitchins has faced, but with more volume and less caution. That’s not an easy matchup for a champion who likes control.
Hitchins’ manager, Keith Connolly, said this week that Hitchins is expected to appear high on the card, but he didn’t name an opponent. Eddie Hearn hasn’t commented publicly either. So for now, it’s all unresolved.
What’s confirmed is the date and the platform. Everything else is still taking shape.
If the opponent turns out to be Jamaine Ortiz, it won’t be because the fight is safe or convenient. It’ll be because someone finally agreed to face a fighter who never got the red-carpet treatment and doesn’t need it.
