WORCESTER — It’s coming up on six years since Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz made his professional boxing debut following a distinguished amateur career.
The 25-year-old Worcester native, who won a New England Golden Gloves championship in 2015 and advanced deep into the US Olympic Trials the next year, has compiled a 14-0-1 record as a pro and is the reigning WBC USNBC Silver lightweight belt holder.
Support local journalism:Subscribe to telegram.com today for only $1 for 6 months.
So it’s been a good run thus far, one that has steadily trended upward.
“It’s been a long time, close to six years as a professional,” Ortiz said last week as Amira, his 5-year-old daughter, played in the background.
“A shout-out to my promoter Jimmy Burchfield for bringing me along this way and getting me these opportunities. I’ve had bigger fights every single time.”
The biggest bout yet takes place Friday night when Ortiz (14-0-1, 8 KOs) meets Nahir “Woo” Albright (14-1, 7 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder for the NABF lightweight championship on Showtime from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
The two equally talented and accomplished 135-pound fighters are the main event on a three-bout card that begins at 9 pm, the latest installment of “ShoBox: The Next Generation,” which has been pairing top prospects with legitimate world title ambitions since 2001.
“It’s big time; it’s a great opportunity,” Burchfield, who owns Rhode Island-based CES Boxing, said Tuesday before boarding a flight to Florida, where Ortiz arrived earlier in the day. “I believe, not believe, I know Jamaine is 100 percent ready for this fight and looking forward to it.
“You’re really going to see the talent of Jamaine come out Friday night on national TV. … All the work is in, all the training is in. Now it’s up to Jamaine to bring home this belt to Worcester and all of New England.”
Interestingly enough, Ortiz and Albright, who hails from Philadelphia and resides across the Delaware River in New Jersey, were supposed to meet on the undercard of the Roy Jones Jr.-Mike Tyson extravaganza Thanksgiving weekend in Los Angeles.
However, Albright dropped out with an elbow injury before Ortiz knocked out his replacement, Sulaiman Segawa, to become the talk of the pay-per-event that drew 1.6 million buys.
Now, they’ll finally square off.
“It’s going to be good,” Ortiz said, repeating himself for emphasis. “I finally get to face him. But, yeah, when you have a good opponent, eventually you’re going to meet him.”
And Albright, who, like Ortiz, is 25, 5-foot-8 and turned pro in 2016, is a good one.
He has rattled off 14 straight wins since losing his debut by decision, including stoppages in five of his past six bouts after just two KOs in his first nine fights.
Albright attributes his increase in power punching to a decrease in weight, having entered the pro ranks at 149 pounds before moving down to the 135 range two years ago.
“That’s when I could bring the power,” Albright said on Marc Abrams’ pugilist podcast earlier this month. “Everybody I hit, they get hurt. So I’ve got some real serious power at 135.”
This will be Albright’s seventh fight in 13 month, while Ortiz will enter the ring for just the third time since November 2020. But it’s been quality rather than quantity for Ortiz, a 2014 Doherty High graduate.
In addition to the aforementioned knockout of Segawa, Ortiz got up off the canvas twice against unbeaten Joseph Adorno to salvage a hard-earned majority decision in April.
And Ortiz spent five weeks late last year serving as a sparring partner for Vasiliy Lomachenko, a Ukranian lightweight who is considered one of the 10 best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
“It was a good experience getting out there,” said Ortiz, who trains under Rocky Gonzalez at Camp Get Right Boxing Gym. “It was one of my favourites. I got to see how everyone does their own thing; the differences and the similarities.”
Ortiz checks in 13th in the United States and 60th in the world by boxrec.com while Albright checks in at 11th and 54th. The victor — assuming a draw isn’t in the cards — is going to make a big jump in the rankings.
Burchfield said whoever possesses the NABF lightweight belt will vault into the top 15 in the world in what is considered the best and deepest division in the sport.
“Through the years it changes from division to division,” Burchfield said, “but right now, the 135-pound lightweight division is the hottest in boxing. There are some very big fights out there for Jamaine when he wins this fight.”
As for the predictions, they’re just what one would expect.
“I expect it to be a war, but I will be victorious,” Albright said.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” Ortiz countered. “I can just guarantee that I’m going to come out on top and win. Everybody tune in.”
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.