“Yoked with consecutive defeats, Ortiz, 29-4-2 (22), exhibited little of the behavior we expect of serious men in a serious profession. He did not hole up like Goodhue Coldfield and he did not repeat the usual boxing platitudes. Instead, Ortiz spent his hiatus—one necessitated by the severity of his fractured jaw—like a resurrected child star. He cut rugs on Dancing with the Stars, launched a line of skincare products enticingly titled “VO by Facelube,” shot a commercial that belongs in a time capsule, released VO cologne, and filmed scenes for the upcoming action flick, The Expendables 3. In short, Ortiz, the loser, the quitter, the laughing stock, managed to parlay his cultural currency into a level of crossover success most boxers rarely achieve.”

Read Action or Antics: Victor Ortiz-Luis Collazo Preview on The Cruelest Sport.