Boxer Victor Ortiz to Compete On ‘Dancing With the Stars’
He may be one of the top welterweight boxers in the world, but does Victor Ortiz have the moves it takes to be a top competitor on Dancing With the Stars? We’ll find out come March 18th when Season 16 of the ABC hit dance-off show premieres. The Mexican-American fighter will be joining 10 other stars, including singer Wynonna Judd, actor D.L. Hughley, Baltimore Ravens football player Jacoby Jones, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump, comedian Andy Dick, Disney star Zendaya Coleman, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, actor Ingo Rademacher, former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler and figure skater Dorothy Hamill.
Ortiz, whose mother abandoned him and his family in Kansas when he was seven, will hit the dance floor with his partner and So You Think You Can Dance alum Lindsay Arnold. The pro dancer, a newbie to the show, will help the 26-year-old fighter learn his Tango from his Mambo and his Samba from his Ramba. ”I’m very happy that it’s [Lindsay's] first season because, knowing that, I know she’s not going to let up on me, she’s not going to be easy on me, and she’s going to work hard,” said Ortiz in an ABC interview.
After breaking his jaw during a bout against fellow-welterweight Josesito Lopez last year, his fans have missed seeing Ortiz in the ring. “No I am not quitting boxing. Just decided to kick some butt on the dance floor while my jaw fully heals. Gotta stay competitive!” he tweeted. Statistically, boxers haven’t fared too well on DWTS. Of the fighters who’ve appeared on the show in the past—Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard—not one has made it to a finale. Perhaps Ortiz will be the first. ”We’re here to win it,” Ortiz exclaimed.
Ortiz joins a growing roster of Latino celebrity contestants to appear on the dancing competition, including Salvadorian-American Army vet and former All My Children star J.R. Martinez (who won), Mexican-American TV host Mario Lopez, Chilean actor Christian de la Fuente, Cuban telenovela star William Levy, and Brazilian racecar driver Helio Castroneves (who also won).
Tags: latin Celebrities, Victor Ortiz
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