Victor Ortiz began his professional boxing career with promising wins in his first two fights. However, his third fight ended in controversy with a disqualification loss, when the referee decided that Ortiz had hit his opponent while they were down. Ortiz said that it was a legal hook during an exchange that knocked his opponent down, but the inexperienced referee made the wrong call. Regardless, Ortiz viewed the loss as a relief, taking the pressure off him to remain undefeated.

In 2007, Ortiz faced the first big challenge of his career—a fight against Emmanuel Clottey, a champion from Ghana. Ortiz was given only two weeks’ notice of the fight, and had to cut his weight from 150 pounds to 133. Despite the short time available, Ortiz accepted the fight without even knowing his opponent’s name. At the time, Ortiz was working a double shift, juggling his job as a Red Bull salesman with a part-time job in construction, while also fighting for custody of his younger brother.

On the day of the fight in Laughlin, Nevada, Ortiz did not know who his opponent was until he entered the ring. When the referee announced the current champion, Ortiz realized that the organizers had deliberately created a difficult challenge for him. However, he was undeterred, entering the ring with great determination and winning by knockout in the final round. The victory was a significant accomplishment, especially coming from a respected champion. The next morning, Ortiz met his opponent in the elevator, and despite bruises and a swollen eye, they shared a moment of mutual respect and posed for a photo together.

The win earned Ortiz the ESPN “Rising Star of the Year” designation. At the time, Ortiz was also training with the legendary Manny Pacquiao, and trainer Freddie Roach hailed their sparring sessions as the best he had ever witnessed. Ortiz’s progress continued in 2009 when he fought his first televised bout on HBO, against Mike Arnaoutis, a USBA champion from Greece. Ortiz confidently predicted his victory, and he delivered on that promise by knocking out Arnaoutis in the second round, cementing his status as a rising star in boxing.