Ortiz stops Resto in two rounds

Whatever legal baggage Victor Ortiz is dealing with, he dropped it off before walking into the MGM Grand ring Saturday.

The 21-year-old Oxnard fighter battered New York’s Jeffrey Resto, knocking him down twice in the first round and once in the second before referee Russell Mora stopped the fight 1 minute 19 seconds into the round.

Ortiz (23-1-1, 18 knockouts) was the subject of a heated confrontation earlier in the week when his former promoter, Bob Arum, accused the boxer’s managers of deception that included a bankruptcy claim by Ortiz and a subsequent move to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Arum maintains he’ll appeal the bankruptcy ruling, win back Ortiz’s services and sue the managers.

Ortiz showed how valuable a commodity he is against Resto (22-3), unleashing his powerful left in the first-round knockdowns. In the second minute of the next round, he came forward with a barrage that staggered Resto and his right uppercut to the jaw was the last punch of the fight.

“I saw his videos and studied him a lot,” said Ortiz, who defended his North American Boxing Organization junior-welterweight belt. “I thought he might outbox me, but I used my power, tucked in and boxed small, got rid of the distance. And that won the fight for me.”

In another undercard bout before De La Hoya fought Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Lopez made short work of Sergio Medina, knocking him down three times in the first round to successfully defend his World Boxing Organization super-bantamweight title.

Lopez (24-0, 21 KOs) has won his last three bouts by first-round KOs, including his June dismissal of former champion Daniel Ponce De Leon.

Puerto Rico’s Lopez immediately had Medina (33-2) in trouble, bullying him into the ropes and pounding him relentlessly until he went down.

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com