By Miguel Maravilla at ringside
Photos: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) settled his unfinished business with a seventh round KO over Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) in a rematch on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It was a slow-paced and cautious fight with Ortiz winning until Wilder ended it suddenly and decisively with a huge right hand in round seven. At the time of the shocking ending, Wilder was trailing on all three cards 59-55, 59-55, 58-56.
Ortiz got Wilder’s attention in the opening round as he snuck in a quick left. Jabbing away in the second, Wilder and Ortiz measured as they continued to figure each other out as Ortiz was the more productive. The straight left kept landing for Ortiz in the third but Wilder answered back with a straight right hand. Ortiz kept the straight left coming as he backed Wilder to the ropes in the fourth.
Working the jab in the fifth, Ortiz was patient as he had Wilder backing up. A stiff jab by Wilder in the sixth was his best punch thus far in the fight as he snapped back Ortiz’s head.
The Cuban stuck to the plan continuing to box and counter.
In the seventh, a wild left by Ortiz barely connected and backed up Wilder as the champ responded with a haymaker. Later in the round Wilder finally caught Ortiz flush with a solid straight right that flattened Ortiz. He struggled to get up as referee Kenny Bayless counted him out at 2:51 of the seventh.
In their first fight Wilder stopped Ortiz in ten rounds back in March 2018.
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Can’t believe Ortiz let that punch land, he should have kept his distance. I think that was his last shot.
Respect to both men but damn, Wilder is clearly the most dangerous man on the entire planet! #Bombsquad
Wilder was really cautious in the early portion of the fight and I gave Ortiz the early rounds in points. Wilder needs to power up his jab. He was pawing it way too much in this fight. Ortiz did very well with the lead left crosses throughout the fight. Wilder’s thumping right hand is all it takes and it’s over. Wow!
lolz. i love watching Wilder, but every time a see a fight pan out like that my heart sinks when he finally lands the right. haha. Great effort by Ortiz but Wilder does what Wilder does again!
The haters can say what they want to say, but Mark Breland is a fucking genius, and Deontay Wilder is very UNDERrated. You heard me correctly. UNDERrated.
OMG, bro he is rated right exactly where he should be rated. He was getting out boxed by an old man before his otherworldly power bailed him out. His punching power cannot and will not continue to get him bailed out. No all-time greats in boxing only had punching power, but it is all that Wilder has. I think the future undisputed champion of this division is Usyk. He has the patience, the stamina, the footwork and something no other heavyweight has and that is pound-for-pound level skill with boxing fundamentals. He can literally follow a game plan for 12 rounds, and make Wilder look like a fool until the final bell rings.
Usyk? Go home and get your shine box.
Now go get your fuc… shinebox Nailed it! Usyk is a much better boxer than Wilder No doubt. But he is way too small for Wilder and Wilder has the most insane punch
Wilder is not a big HW, just tall. Usyk is not that small at 6’3”
Usyk has never felt anything like what wilder will slap him with. He’d better bring a gun
Chris, it’s probably worth noting that almost none of the all time greats had Wilder’s power. I have trouble thinking of Wilder as great, because you’re not wrong about his mediocre boxing skills, but at the same time I think he’d fair pretty well against a who’s who of the Division.
Btw, I’m not sold on Usyk against Wilder. He’s by far the better boxer, but I really don’t think he’d have enough power to keep Wilder away. Wilder would put him to sleep.
If you hate Wilder, then your best hope right now is Fury. However, I actually think Wilder will finish his business there. Beyond Fury…Father Time is your best hope. Wilder will likely be on the South side when the young lions are ready to try him. I like Dubois as the next great Champion, but he’s at least 2 and probably 3 years away.
Does anyone on this site actually believe that Wilder was trying to win rounds? To me he was looking for his bomb all night and it exploded in the 7th round.
I wish he’d work on his jab and overall ring generalship, because if he did, then he might be the best to ever lace them up. However, it’s very clear that will not happen, so I’ll just enjoy him for what he is…the hardest puncher in Heavyweight history. You can hate him all you want, but at the end of the day he’ll probably knock out whoever you think would beat him.
Wilder is not even top ten heavyweight hardest puncher in history. Study boxing before making a statement like that. Wilder has been fighting mediocre competition (not his fault) in comparison to the older days. The consensus is that Ernie Shavers still regarded as the hardest puncher in the division history.
Not top ten? Name 10 better.
Ernie could definitely swat, but I believe Wilder’s is a little more explosive. I’m definitely curious who the other 9 that you think hit harder than Wilder. Remember, we’re talking 1 punch power.
Foreman had one punch power and he knew how to use a JAB!
True, Foreman definitely could hit and as it is a mythical list I have no big issue with him over Wilder. For me though, Wilder’s one punch is more devastating.
By the way, to any Wilder haters that call out big George (I’m not calling you a hater Steve) they should really go watch his early fights. He absolutely looked robotic and beyond his power he seemed to lack boxing skills. Does that sound like anyone in today’s game? For me, Wilder actually looks more athletic than big George did.
He might be the best to ever lace them up if he improves his ring generalship? His jab sucks, his left hook is nonexistent, his footwork looks like a baby deer just dropped out of his mommas vajajay, he swings wildly. None of those things say best to ever lace them up.
What he is is a huge right handed puncher who comes in shape and will keep throwing it until he lands. Usually, being a heavyweight, the other guy gets tire and Wilder finds his shot.
But make no mistake, he was clearly losing that fight and had his opponent not made that one mistake of getting off balance a little bit. IMO, Wilder is the Julian Jackson of the heavyweight division.
Right he looked like shit like allways and those who think he’s great don’t even ses that the HW division today is the weakest ever.. UNDErRated !! Lol you really dont know shit !! Tyson, Ali, Klitschko’s , Lewis all would’ve knock the shit out of him ! #BUMSQUAD
Then why did all of those guys you just mentioned get knocked the f out by guys who are way below wilder? Waiting…
chris do you think usyk can beat kingkong …no way not even close and im sure egg white big baby and parker pen would love to put him the washer and see if he makes it to the spin cycle
You always have some dumb shit to say. How do you know Wilder won’t land the one punch that he needs. Usyk has not been tested, not once and you talk like he’s a world beater. Get off your knees man. You never cease to amaze me with your bandwagon jumping. Last month it was Bivol, now it’s Usyk. You need a hobby.
Wilder is overrated and his punching power can’t continue to bail him out after 43 fights? Usyk is the best heavyweight with only one heavyweight fight? Alright! Got it!
Why is Breland a genius? He has not taught Wilder how to box! All Wilder has is a big, wild punch and no professional competition!
Steve Myers…where was this wild punch last night that you speak of. Breland had him throwing straight rights. Before you spew bs, watch the damn fight.
Mate in all honesty Wilder is not a good boxer.. but damn he’s got dynamite in that right hand.
Breland was a good fighter in his own right, jaw held him back apparently, he’s a good trainer too
42-0-1-41 KOs guys.
Thankfully, he’ll never best Marciano’s record due to that one blemish (the draw) on his resume.
Floyd already bested that record and wilder would wipe the floor with rocky and all of his top fighters
Against inferior competition.
You know nothing about boxing, Marciano fought 4 top rated fighters in all his career, Walcott, Louis,Charles and light heavy Archie Moore. Every one of those 4 were near 40 or over at the end of their careers, Louis was retired and came back because the tax man took all he had.All 4 of these old guys gave Rocky terrible beatings before age took its toll, both Walcott and especially Moore had him down for long counts. Apart from those 4, the only rated guys on Marciano’s resume were Alex mittif and Welshman Tommy Farr, Farr went the full 15 with him without once going down to.Marciano retired without facing his top young contenders ie: Foley, Machen, Patterson ,Big cat Williams and most of all Sonny Liston. Thanks
Totally!
tommy Farr???
I know good and damn well you’re not saying that rocky Marciano fought better competition than wilder?! I know you did t say that?
Wilder’s only asset is his right hand. Other than that he is a mediocre fighter with a questionable chin. Ortiz is old and smaller. When Wilder goes against Fury again, who is a younger, bigger, with a longer reach, a better chin (as proven against Wilder), and much more talented boxer than Ortiz, you will see a different outcome.
If Fury sticks to a good game plan, and is patient and careful against that right, he will take Wilder to boxing school and be the next WBC champion.
That’s like saying Usain Bolt’s only asset is his speed, or Klay Thompson wouldn’t be anything without his 3 pointer, or what would Serena be without her serve? Get it?
I’m not a Wilder fan but you say he has a questionable chin. Could you give me examples of this?
Jason, Ortiz is not small. And Deontay has displayed a good chin. Also don’t forget that Tyson Fury was floored by Steve Cunningham, who is not a big puncher and is a natural Cruiserweight.
Fury has a better chin but has been down multiple times whereas wilder has never been down as a pro
You guys try to take everything from certain fighters except for what you can’t take and even then you criticize and minimize it. You are natural born haters
Wilder waited him out. I was iffy about Wilder’s performance until the 5th round when I saw Ortiz take some deep breaths. In the last round, Ortiz’s body language changed, and that’s when Deontay started hooking to the body. Either way, one punch is all it takes from Wilder. I would love to see Ortiz vs Ruiz. That would be a great fight as well. Hopefully, Ortiz will fight a few more big names before hanging it up. But I don’t see anyone else eager to fight him. Next up, let’s see what Fury brings this time around. Before I go, I see Joshua being dropped in a similar fashion after being smacked around a bit more. Peace be with you.
Good job Wilder! I think Ortiz should think about retiring at his age take the money and settle down he looked great though.
Ruiz will ruin Wilder…But I don’t think Wilder will fight him..Not even for big money!!
Uhm … NOT !!
Wilder will beat Ruiz. And beat him good.
Ruiz can box.. has speed and power and a good chin. And good stamina for his size.. will be a good fight against Wilder i rekon.
Ruiz ruin wilder?? dream on
Wilder’s right hand that ended it seemed more like a slapping punch on top of Ortiz’s head. That said, it was dull fight, no drama or sustained action, just Wilder’s signature “lucky punch.”
Michael, watch the slow mo and notice the explosion of sweat off the back of Ortiz’s head. At full speed, it’s hard to see the impact of a perfect punch. I remember watching Foreman vs Moorer thinking the punch was slow, but on the replay, WOW! Foreman twisted his whole frame into the follow through. It blew up Moorer’s mouth…can’t remember how many stitches, I want to say 13.
Anyway, Wilder’s punch reminded me of that in so much that I didn’t see it as that special at full speed.
For a long time I thought Wilder was a joker landing lucky punches, clearly he is GREAT…I remember waiting for the “next step up” in competition to KO Wilder, but now I see how unique and what a fantastic fighter he is…He would knock out just about all heavyweights of any era, he knows how and when to set up that right hand, the best right hand in the history of boxing, any division…
That played out pretty much exactly like Foreman vs Moore.
Just got home from watching the fight, ok yes it was boring I get it. I have watched over 400-500 fights in my life over 40 years. It was like watching a chess match, average punches landed per round
At only 5 punches. Deontay is a very smart fighter who was patiently waiting for Ortiz to make a mistake. Wilder will never be a fighter who will dominate every round based on punches landed and it will probably be only a matter of time before someone beats him convincingly by decision. Until than, Deontay is the man; he is a very intelligent fighter with massive power which cannot be denied. I hope he continues to work on his craft to become a better boxer. Congrats Deontay!
The knockout was set up nicely. Wilder throws out a jab, Distracting Ortiz, his eyes moved as he avoided the Jab, then bang goes the right hand
Wilder’s strategy of waiting for the right punch paid off. However, I just don’t like how he goes about doing it. He was hesitant to throw for fear of counters and pawed with his jab instead of snapping it. He threw very few punches the entire fight and allowed Ortiz to take the play away from him. I believe he lost the first five rounds but he stepped it up in the 6th.
Wilder can be a lot more effective if he uses his jab consistently and with bad intentions. Tonight, he was just using it to distract Ortiz. It didn’t work for 5 rounds and I could just see him fighting like that all night against Fury and losing a wide decision. He finally landed the punch, but I just don’t like that strategy. It also makes for a boring fight until the sudden ending.The first fight was a barnburner compared to this one.
Wilder has done a lot with his limited tools but has the great equalizer with his right hand. As long as he wins by KO, he will continue to attract and keep his fans. I just think he could be a lot more watchable and marketable if he actually mixed up his punches and puts an effort into each round.
Wilder was right when he said he only has to be good for two seconds. Its always a long fight when hes being cautious. Ortiz looked great and hes background stands out. Still you look at Wilder who jumped into boxing late and still managed to excel to the point of winning a medal at the Olympics and then on to the Heavyweight champion. Wilder is a proven champion, but his critics will continue to wait for him to lose.
This was a predictable result. Wilder had already beaten Ortiz when Ortiz was younger. Absolutely no surprise that he did so again in the same fashion with Ortiz now 42. Ortiz knew this was going to be the result, but only took this fight for the money.
Wilder continues to build the hype, while being an amateurish fighter. Sad the state go heavyweight Boxing where hype controls, not talent.
You haters keep hating and Wilder will keep putting your guys to sleep!! Usyk is a good fighter, but no way he lasts 12 with Wilder. Yeah, Wilder is wild and not as polished as some like and I’m someone that loves a good boxing match that most call boring and enjoyed watching Floyd work his magic, but Wilder has dynamite in that right and you have to be able to avoid that landing flush for 12 rounds…not as easy as most seem to think.
Wait and see.. Usyk is going To school him like never it happend in the history of boxing..
Damn this guy is annoying. Every time he fights I say to myself “his right hand won’t save him this time” and he proves me wrong.
Watching this fight reminds me of how a bottle of this would be welcomed at the home of anyone that needs to fall asleep.In previous posts I mentioned that Wilder would K.O kong quicker than the 1st fight. Lets face it, Wilder from round 1-12 can stop a dinosaur. He has power at anytime in the fight. Ortiz for whatever reason looked like he knew he would by K.O’d in the middle rounds. Fury can outbox Wilder all day long and 3 times on Sunday, but we all know that Wilder can stop the fight in any round with that massive power. I wonder what numbers were done on the P.P.V end, finally the judges cards reflected exactly what was going on in the fight, a snorefest ZZZZZZ, for basically every round except the 7th. But the K.O shot was perfect.
Here we are again , a weak champ in an weak era and the Young fan’s who dont even understand the sport of boxing think he’s the goat ! He can’t continue fighting these type of challengers sorry..
Spot on Regis!!
OMG, Wilder was getting out boxed by the old man Ortiz, imagine what happens when he gets in with the seasoned Fury in February???
He is getting KTFO.
What fight was Larry Hazzard watching?
Exactly!! The crooked idiot.
I think an under valued asset DW has is that he doesn’t lose heart when things aren’t going his way.
He has shown this vs Fury and Ortiz.
I’m dubious about the Wilder/Fury rematch happening in February. If it does happen it’s a pick em but I’m not sure Fury or anyone keeps Wilder at bay for 12 rounds. Maybe , despite his loss – AJ has the best chance of beating him because of his power and I just get the feeling that you have to KO him to beat him.
Man oh man what a fight! I thought Ortiz was going to pull It off finally, but deontay was just just bidding time it seems. It was a fast and hard Punch that should get credit. I love the display of respect for each other. Wilder had the guts to fight a man that no one would fight. And was getting beat until that punch. Sure his boxing skills aren’t the best but the outcome is always the same, and I’m cool with that because its exciting. I don’t see anybody beating Wilder. Especially that fraud AJ. Hopefully Ortiz will get another shot from another belt holder.
I’ve never seen a fighter give up so many rounds yet find a way to win.
Stay away from the right hand and you can win. The left Hand is irrelevant. Let’s be honest he’s fighting in a very weak heavyweight division.
i don’t think King Kong is a weak fighter
tommy hearn’s younger brother, the power is rare that he’s carries
The Hammer fight was indicative of where this would go. While me and a lot of other people (bookies included apparently) thought it would be over in the first 3, it was eventually done. Ortiz had probably the technical best of his career avoiding near everything Wilder threw for 7 rounds.
**FOOTWORK RANT INC**
The problem was in the footwork. 40 year old men are not that fast on their feet usually and that was where Ortiz needed to be for Wilder. Good legs to move in and move out for 12 rounds. He slowed and Wilder caught him on the ropes. Typically a great little man gets beat by a good big man if the little man doesn’t use his footwork. Like AJ smashing Povetkin. Clearly Povetkin is no slouch but because he wasn’t fast on his feet the larger AJ found him easy to hit.
Mike Tyson understood the value of footwork and leg strength. In his prime he was unmatched in his leg conditioning and footwork. Footwork gets you in and gets you out safely. It closes the distance rapidly and gets you in position to throw faster. Look at the heavyweights today and see how few of them actually understand the importance of footwork.
Usyk understands footwork also. His dismantling of Witherspoon was great and that won’t be the last HW he outmaneuvers. The question will be if he can move like that for 12 rounds against a real banger. I’m confident that if he can take a solid HW punch and keep trucking he will beat many HWs today.
Why is simple. Footwork. Mike Tyson showed how smaller boxers can and should easily beat taller boxers when the footwork difference is massive. If Usyk can maneuver inside quickly and land significantly he will easily beat most of them.
Smaller note: Remember when Tyson Fury was dropped by Steve Cunningham? Remember where Cunningham was when he landed that shot. Footwork is a big deal.
@noracistsallowed(besides you), wilder is not a good boxer… NOT EVEN CLOSE. The truth is he has minimal talent at best and has proven he only has the ability mentally to learn so much, he’s limited as a fighter. He depends on the KO and has been down IN EVERY SINGLE FIGHT against top 20 guys until he KO’d them.. If that KO doesnt come.. He will lose! And his chin IS WEAK AND QUESTIONABLE! He Only fought fury because Fury has no pop and got dropped by cruiser Steve Cunningham. But wilder was outboxed for 12 rounds easily! Same with Ortiz both times.. If someone has pop and can end the show… Wilder is getting slept! He got decked by romanov with headgear on so badly that he couldnt recover.