Wilder: I knew sooner or later it would come

By Miguel Maravilla

“What an amazing fight. The fight lived up to the hype,” WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder talking about his spectacular knockout over Luis “King Kong” Ortiz on Saturday night in Las Vegas. “Ortiz proved tonight that he is one of the best. He proved age is nothing but a number. I give him respect and he has tremendous skill.”

A crushing right hand ended matters in the seventh round with Wilder behind on all three scorecards.

“To be honest I’m not worried if I’m losing the fight. I’m blessed with tremendous power. I really had to be smart with him. We put a plan together. What I do is not textbook. I saw the opportunity and took it. I knew sooner or later it would come,” Wilder said.

“I wanted to wait, measure, give angles, and most of all have fun. When I found the punch I was looking for it was night, night.”

Wilder also spoke about the upcoming heavyweight showdown between WBO, WBA, IBF heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua.

“The heavyweight division was in the dark but I’m happy to be part of the heavyweight division. I want to become undisputed champion.”

And on a potential rematch with Tyson Fury, “Ima knock Fury out. Come February I hope they are ready for me. I’m looking forward to fighting the top guys. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Follow Miguel on Twitter @MigMaravilla

Full Wilder-Ortiz post-fight press conference
Luis Ortiz: It was either him or me

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  • Hardly an amazing fight ….one amazing right hand I would say it was only a matter of time till it landed….this guy can hit you from what seems like 3 metres away !!!!

    • For me it was a don’t take your eyes off it fight because someone was going to get knocked out. I also enjoyed the cat and mouse tactics both fighters employed.

      • It was a highly tactical fight. Both guys knew the other had the power to hurt the other. I was more impressed with Wilder in this performance because of his ability to be patient. Even still he’s vulnerable to a highly skilled boxer. I’m a little upset no one mentioned Usyk. He’s definitely the most highly skilled guy in the division and can keep up his pace for a lot longer.

      • I didn’t watch it live, but instead watched a replay of the 7th round. Even knowing the big shot was coming I still managed to miss it. The slow motion replay showed the devastation. Every Wilder fight is like this. His one punch ability is worth tuning in for.

    • You’re not one who appreciates skill much? Because that was a highly skilled fight with constant, but subtle jockeying for the right position. Ortiz fought an almost perfect fight. He didn’t give Wilder an inch for good reason and was up 5-1, 5-1, and 4-2. Wilder had to be patient and let Ortiz get a little bit fatigued so he could start landing the shots he needed to. It was only a “matter of time” because Wilder made it happen. Had Ortiz had the stamina to stay super tight for 12 rounds, or if Wilder didn’t have the ability to set traps or stay patient, it could have been a different outcome. There are very few accidents/mistakes at this level of skill.

      • I agree.. everyone is talking about Usyk.. he’s been buzzed already much lesser punchers.. this guy really is the definition of “I only need one punch”

      • Agree, and Dontay waited for the macho moment. Ortiz finally got hot and came forward with his chin up. Ortiz would still tip the robot in Wembley tho.

  • I knew Wilder would KO him but why play with him for 7 rounds? He should have KOed him in the 2nd!.

    • He WAS NOT playing with him. Ortiz was outboxing him. He needed Ortiz to slow down just a step and get comfortable. It’s not like he wasn’t trying. It was a very subtle move and a punch that landed so sharply that even without supreme power it would have been extremely damaging.

  • like i said before,i knew wilder, was going to knockout ortiz early this time around.he was going to fine the target.for one thing,wilder has excellent confident in himself.

  • Wilder relies way too much on that right cross. He needs to power up his jab and dictate the fight from the beginning. I had Ortiz ahead on points til the thunder hit in round 7. Sooner or later, someone with good defense will stay away from that right hand just enough to win on points. Fury is a joke on power, but can out box anyone. Basically, Fury needs to spruce up his defense even tighter for the rematch while Wilder needs to learn how to take command early and be the effective aggressor from the get-go. I am sure Wilder’s promotors will have a rematch clause on the Fury rematch should Wilder get beat on points.

    • Scooby, the reality is, he’s not a very skilled fighter. He’s still developing that skill set as he started late in life and was able to rely on his power. Contrarily, in this fight, he wasn’t “waiting” he was patiently setting up the right hand. It wasn’t there earlier.

      But there is a vulnerability there as you said. A guy who is more youthful and can keep up that tight defense and a higher pace for 12 rounds, Wilder may not get the shot to equalize things. He was way down in this fight officially 5-1, 5-1, and 4-2.

      • Colbi, GTFOH, wilder is an Olympian Boxer. You dont make it to the olympics or through 10 title defenses not knowing how to box. Go eat another retard sandwich u moron

        • Wilder is a bumm. Boxing is experiencing a lack of quality talent. Even gatekeepers from the 90’s like bert Cooper and ray mercer would of knocked him out.

    • Between Colby and Scooby you guys are legit and know your boxing both 100% dead on

      For the gentleman. That ripped Colby regarding Wilders skill-set
      He was not saying that Wilder is not skilled he was saying he Is still a little raw and needs to improve.

      Keep up the great posts Colby and Scooby!

      • Darrel, I appreciate you taking time in reading the posts and responses. Thank you for being here with us.

  • I think wilder was playing dumb to make that guys confidence come up. Then he let him have it

  • Any fighter who relies on his power will eventually get beat wide once they can’t land that power shot in the 12 rounds of boxing. Wilder only seems to be able the land that right hand from range when he loads up on it, with good timing albiet, but he’s shown no ability to land damaging punches from mid or short range. That is why I think the fighter that embarrasses him and wins a 118-110 decision is the newcomer to the heavyweight division and pound-for-pound number four Oleksandr Usyk. Save this post if the fight gets made and come see me after it’s over.

    • Yeah, in his heavy debut he dominated and stopped his bigger opponent. Usyk is a P4P great.

      • It’s just people who don’t understand boxing. All the greats have the best footwork and Usyk is no exception. They don’t understand how hard it is to hit a guy with great footwork. Even Fury and Wilder will have trouble connecting on Usyk. Put it this way it took Wilder 7 rounds to find Ortiz and that was when Ortiz slowed down (he’s 40). A prime Usyk with great footwork is a much more difficult fight.

  • This was a mismatch with a predictable result. This was so much a mismatch, that Wilder had the freedom to choose when he wanted to end it. Wilder knows this and so did Ortiz. Had Wilder wanted to end the fight immediately after the first bell rung to start the fight, he could have.

    Hype is what Wilder sells. I have never been impressed with his skills or the level of his opposition, so count me among those who are not buying.

  • Wilder’s post fight comments never match what happen in any of his fights. He wants people to believe he boxes beautiful, smart, sets em up bla bla bla. He fought that fight off the back foot with a pawing crap jab and ended up getting lucky. He reminds me of the old black n white footage of the cumbersome heavyweights fighting off the back foot in early 1900s. I hope he fights Ruiz next. I reckon Ruiz schools him early.

  • congratulations Mr Wilder……now please unify the rest to show them your the best!

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