Jamaine Ortiz Scored Impressive ShoBox Main Event Win

Headlining Friday night on the Showtime “ShoBox” series, Lightweight prospect Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz used his superior hand and foot speed to dish out punishment against game Nahir Albright and win the vacant NABF 135 lb.

The battle was the main event Friday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL, as

Ortiz, 15-0-1, 8 KOs, sailed to a unanimous decision win by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93 to remain undefeated and put his name in the prospect, contender conversation in a loaded Lightweight division,

.@JamaineOrtizR puts on a clinic and earns the UD win over Albright to stay unbeaten 🙌#ShoBox #OrtizAlbright pic.twitter.com/2sJ6UEC8sY

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) February 19, 2022

Otiz took control early and was walking down Albright, now 14-2, 7 KOs in a very solid performance over 10 rounds. He scored more frequently and meaningfully, landing 48% (103 of 216) of his power punches, compared to 41% for Albright (88 of 216). Most effective was his body punching that produced the biggest numerical disparity. Ortiz out-landed Albright 42 to 4 to the body, over the 10 rounds.

Fighting out of Worchester, MA, Ortiz was coming off his first blemish on his record in a battle last April with Joseph Adorno that ended in a majority draw. And, he looked more poised and patient in the early going, picking his punches carefully and hitting and moving while avoiding Albright’s big right hand.

“I think I showed maturity in this fight,” Ortiz said to Showtime after the bout. “I was cautious in the beginning. I didn’t want to get caught like I did in my last fight. After I took the first couple rounds to feel him out, I saw that I could do whatever I wanted in there and I started to get into a groove and let my punches go.”

In the telecast opener Friday night, Paul Kroll and Marquis Taylor fought to a spirited split draw in their eight-round Super Welterweight bout by scores of 77-75 for Kroll, 80-72 for Taylor and 76-76 in a verdict that frustrated both fighters

Houston’s Taylor connected on 34% of his power punches compared to 29% for Kroll, outscoring him 98 to 71 and out-landing him 109 to 84 in total punches. Still, Kroll escaped winning the fight on one card with a draw on the other.

Taylor (12-1-2, 1 KO) staggered Kroll (9-0-1, 6 KOs) in the sixth with the biggest punch of the fight, a left that caused Kroll to fall against the ropes as Taylor followed up with digging shots to the body.

“I thought I had it for sure,” Taylor said. “I thought I had the fight in the bag. I don’t know what the judges saw. I was being the aggressor and I landed the clearer shots. I thought I really had that fight with no questions. I don’t know what else I could’ve done.”