Devon Alexander vs. Victor Ortiz targeted for early 2018

The fight is rumored to happen as soon as February.

According to a report by FightHype, sources have stated that a welterweight fight between former titleholders Devon Alexander and Victor Ortiz is being discussed for the opening quarter of 2018 — perhaps even as soon as February.

If this comes to fruition it would be a battle between two fighters who were once held in high regard, but still hope to claw their way back to the top of the division.

Alexander (27-4, 14 KOs) recently ended a two-year layoff, where he battled some personal issues, and came back to take a decision over Walter Castillo last month. That fight got him back in the win column after dropping 3 of his previous 4 fights against Aaron Martinez, Amir Khan, and Shawn Porter.

Meanwhile Ortiz (32-6-2) seems to be trying to prove to fans that he still really wants to fight. He most recently stopped Saul Corral in July but has been quite iffy since getting his jaw cracked by Josesito Lopez in mid-2012. Since then he’s gone on a two-year hiatus to heal up, but came back only to get quickly stopped by Luis Collazo in early 2014. Ortiz then took a step down in competition and won two straight before getting knocked out in his 2016 rematch with Andre Berto.

I suppose this is as much as a crossroads fight as any of them, and appropriately matched. Who would you favor in this fight?