Amid Rape Charges, Victor Ortiz/John Molina Jr. Fight Canceled

Former WBC welterweight belt holder Victor Ortiz turned himself in Tuesday on charges of rape, days before his scheduled televised fight against John Molina Jr.

Ortiz/Molina jr. fight canceled over rape charges

Three total felony charges, including forcible rape, were connected to Ortiz when he turned himself in to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The latter was filed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office after a report from a woman who told authorities Ortiz sexually assaulted her at a home in Oxnard, California.

Two other charges include forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration, according to Oxnard police. His posted bail was $100,000, which was paid within an hour of Ortiz turning himself in, and he was released from custody immediately.

Ortiz’s scheduled opponent Molina Jr. had words for fans concerning the fight after it was canceled. In an Instagram post, Molina announced that “the fight has officially been canceled, obviously due to uncontrollable circumstances from Team Ortiz.”

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Although he reserved comments about the allegations, Molina expressed understanding for the situation. “This is boxing, and sometimes you don’t know the circumstances that are going to unfold,” he said in the video on Instagram.

The charges were ignored by the fight’s organizing group, Premeir Boxing Champions, in a news release on Wednesday. “John Molina, Jr., who was scheduled to be in the main event, will be rescheduled to return to the ring soon,” the release said. “And former welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, who was slated to face Molina, will no longer be on the card.”