The clock is ticking and 27-year-old Steven Ortiz knows it. The Philadelphia lightweight is going to get one of those rare chances to appear on national TV Wednesday night (9 PM ET/PT) as part of Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation show from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Ortiz (11-0, 3 knockouts) will be going against replacement Jeremy Hill (14-0, 9 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight battle under the Brandun Lee-Samuel Teah 10-round junior welterweight main event.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will mark the first time Ortiz will be fighting in 18 months. Hill, who is 6-foot, fought four times in 2020.

“I don’t know too much about Hill, but I know he’s tall and a fundamentally sound boxer, he’s a good fighter,” said Ortiz, who is 5-foot-10 and was last on TV in 2018. “The pandemic has been a huge challenge for me, but at the same time, I could say I’ve been more consistent and I kept working.

“There were a lot of fights offered, but not a lot of fights that came through. This is the longest layoff of my career. I am 27. I know how important this is. I sell cars and that helped pay the bills.”

Ortiz began fighting when he was 13. So being away from the ring gave him a greater appreciation of boxing.

“I had big opportunities presented before the pandemic and they would fall through, so I stayed ready,” Ortiz said. “I’m more anxious to get in the ring and go in there and be smart. Hill is a tall fighter who I know I’ll have to frustrate by keeping him out of range with my jab.

“I would like to fight at least four times this year, starting Wednesday night. I feel in great shape and I feel ready.”

Ortiz was originally slated to take on fellow Philadelphia fighter Damon Allen (16-1-1, 5 KOs), but that fell through when Allen was forced to withdraw after suffering a fractured right hand in sparring.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on twitter @JSantoliquito.

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