Worcester's Jamaine Ortiz set to put undefeated mark on the line in title fight on ESPN - is Polar Park bout on horizon?

WORCESTER — Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz has been to Polar Park a handful of times since the gem with a diamond opened last year.

The 26-year-old Worcester native, who holds a pair of lightweight championship boxing belts, was on the mound Wednesday afternoon to throw out a ceremonial first pitch as a “hometown hero” before a Worcester Red Sox game for the second time in 10 months.

The ball was on target – as was the case in August – and so was Ortiz with his thoughts on the park.

“I love the atmosphere and it’s a beautiful stadium,” Ortiz said.

So much so, he’d love to headline a fight card someday at Polar Park.

That’s a possibility for down the road (although see more below). In the meantime, Ortiz’s appearance served as an opportunity to reflect on his latest victory and announce his next fight.

Ortiz improved to 15-0-1 (8 KOs) with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Nahir Albright for the NABF lightweight championship at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, in mid-February.

“I feel really good about my last fight,” the 2014 Doherty High graduate said. “I did what I wanted to do. Improve, fix the mistakes from my previous fight, show that I’m better and mature in the ring, and do what I have to do to get the W.”

That bout was broadcast on Showtime. Now, Ortiz will showcase his skills on another national cable network.

The 5-foot-8, 135-pounder will put his NABF lightweight belt on the line and fight for the vacant USBA title against accomplished veteran Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring in the co-main event May 21 at the Resorts World Event Center in Las Vegas. It’ll be televised live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

So, that’s a pairing of the world capital of boxing and the worldwide leader in sports.

“Now that you put it in that perspective, yeah, most definitely (big time),” Ortiz said.

Herring, 36, was the reigning WBO world super featherweight champion until losing by technical knockout in October. The one-time lightweight, who is 23-3 (11 KOs) and promoted by Top Rank, will move up from the 130-pound class to meet Ortiz.

This will mark the fourth straight fight Ortiz has had outside New England. He fought in Los Angeles in 2020 and Central Florida in ’21 and ’22.

Getting around is something Ortiz is OK with, having grown up in Great Brook Valley, Vernon Hill, Grafton Hill, and Tatnuck Square among other locales in Worcester.

“I’m still moving,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t stay still. I don’t know, I just stay moving.”

Ortiz has entered the ring once in his hometown as a pro, notching a TKO at the Palladium on Feb. 28, 2020.

Promoter Jimmy Burchfield of Rhode Island-based CES Boxing, would love to see his fast-rising fighter step through the ropes in a ring set up at Polar Park. And, as mentioned, so would Ortiz.

“That’s what I want to do – I want to sell the place out,” Ortiz said. “Besides being a world champion boxer, I want to be able to sell out arenas and be that household name. That’s the next step. Obviously, I have the task in front of me, which is what I’m focused on.

“But on the back end, I’m working on putting my name out there so everybody knows who Jermaine “The Technician” Ortiz is and getting fans in these seats and making it entertaining enough where people want to come and watch.”

And for someone who was a good-field, no-hit shortstop during the year or two he played Little League, that was quite the first pitch toward bringing boxing to Polar Park.

Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester boxer Jamaine Ortiz set to put undefeated mark on the line in title fight on ESPN - is Polar Park bout on horizon?