Boxing: Cauthen Decisions Ortega!

In a junior middleweight bout featuring a former Olympian, 1996 bronze medallist Terrance Cauthen danced and circled his way to a unanimous 10-round decision over late replacement Roberto Ortega. This was a rematch between the two men, who originally fought in 2003 when Cauthen earned a decision victory. Ortega, who fell to 17-10, was a late replacement for one-time contender Omar Weis. Cauthen, who now stands at 25-1, is knocking on the door of contender status, but still has a lot of big names to pass by before nailing down a big-time fight in the talent-laden 140-pound decision. Ortega and Cauthen, who was initially scheduled to fight Omar Weiss, set the tone early by bouncing around the ring across from each other without landing punches for the first minute. The two southpaws seemed demonstrated little commitment to jabbing or punching to the body. This pattern signaled the end of any hope of Ortega stealing an upset, and played right into his opponent’s hands.