WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester boxer Jamaine Ortiz will fight for the WBO Junior Welterweight Championship in Las Vegas next month, and the Worcester native got a special send off Thursday at the city's Boys and Girls club, the place where his career got its start.

"I'm feeling great," Ortiz said. "I'm feeling like any other fight. Just fresh, amazing, prepared as always. I'm ready to rock and roll."

Jamaine Ortiz enters the fight against Teofimo Lopez with a record of 17-1-1. Lopez beat Ortiz in 2015 at the National Golden Gloves Championship, but Ortiz said it’s a distant memory now.

"That was a long time ago," he said. "I'm a lot better fighter now. It's a different game when we're talking about professional fighting and 12 rounds."

Ortiz is looking to become the first Worcester native to take home a world title. His mentor, three-time world champion Jose Rivera, moved to the city when he was 16-years-old.

Rivera is confident Ortiz is up to the challenge and can carry the baton.

"When that opportunity comes, you just have to take advantage of it," Rivera said. "He's primed, he's ready, this is his big moment. I'm excited for him, like if I was fighting for my world championship. It's a big moment."

While Ortiz and his team are calm, cool and collected, the same can't be said for his mother.

"A lot of nerves," said Imaculada Rodriguez. "A little bit of everything. But at the same time, I want to be strong so he's able to see me strong, and be able to continue supporting him the way I have been all this time."

Nicknamed "The Technician," Ortiz said all he has to do is stick to his game plan.

"Just be me, be 'The Technician,' be elusive," Ortiz said. "It's going to be a great week. A lot of people. I'm excited to showcase to the whole world who Jamaine Ortiz is."

Ortiz and Lopez will square up on Feb. 8 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The fight is just two days before the Super Bowl, which will also be in Las Vegas, so the hope is for a packed house.