WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and Luis “King Kong” Ortiz went face to face on Saturday at a press conference to officially announce their pay-per-view rematch on November 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Deontay Wilder: “That first fight was a test for me to show me where my skill level was in the heavyweight division. He was the bogeyman in the heavyweight division for a reason. To this day, they still don’t fight him for a reason.”
Luis Ortiz: “There was no reason for me not winning the first fight, it just is what it is. We knew that one of us was going to get knocked out. I have that same sentiment for the rematch. This fight is not going 12 rounds.”
Also squaring off were three-division champion and current WBA featherweight champion Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz and challenger Miguel “El Michoacan” Flores, who meet for the WBA super featherweight championship in the co-main event.
Leo Santa Cruz: “I work hard for every fight and it’s going to be the same for this fight. This opportunity came to fight for the 130-pound title and I’m excited to fight for it. I want to become a four-division world champion.”
Miguel Flores: “Being at 130 or 126 doesn’t make a difference to me when fighting Leo, it’s still the same guy. He started his career at 118 anyway and I’ve had it in my brain for so long about how I’m going to beat him.”
I like the Wilder-Ortiz rematch. Wilder says he will KO Ortiz in the first round this time. People say that Ortiz’ age is showing. People also say that Ortiz has never beaten a top 10 HW. But we do know that Ortiz looked good (until he got careless and got KO’d) against Wilder, and I think even his worst critics have to admit that Ortiz has power and can box.
That’s why I am looking forward to this fight. I would not be surprised if Ortiz would win the fight, even by KO. He clearly has the potential to do so, and he didn’t look particularly old in his last fights. Ortiz gave Wilder his toughest round as a pro (round 7) and I see no reason why he can’t do it again.
Wilder may be a massive favorite coming into the fight, but he can’t afford to get careless at any time. Ortiz has one-punch knock out power and I hope he will use it.
There’s no doubt, this fight will attract attention, despite the fact that – according to Fury – Ortiz is “147 years old”. Fury obviously hopes that Wilder will win – after all, a fight against Wilder pays incomparably more than a fight against Ortiz.
Bermaine Stiverne eagerly awaits the winner of this contest.
@Croswell-Sadly, you are probably right. Hopefully Usyk can shake things up in the division!
Or the winner gets Molina, compliments of the sanctioning of the WBC.
Not a great event, starting for its under card. I think Ortiz will show his age in this fight and is gonna be obliterated by Wilder in less than 5 rounds. Again, under card suck with Santa Cruz fighting for a bogus belt against an undeserved nobody. Note: This is what I read in Bad Left Hook abou Santa Cruz vs Flores….”This fight was pure garbage when it was first booked and it’s pure garbage now. Flores (24-2, 12 KO) is two fights removed from consecutive stoppage losses to Dat Nguyen and Chris Avalos, defeating journeymen Raul Chirino (who was in the middle of a four-fight losing streak) and Luis May (in the middle of a six-fight losing streak). For God knows what reason, this was enough for the WBA to rank him #2 at 130 pounds, just above Jayson Velez.
So now Santa Cruz gets to fight BoxRec’s 130th-ranked fighter for a title that shouldn’t exist and call himself a four-division champion after he inevitably wins in one-sided fashion. He and his team should be ashamed of themselves, as should anybody who treats this as a legitimate title fight. So should the WBA, obviously, but those cretins don’t know the meaning of the word “shame.”
I think practically every boxing fan would agree on your assessment of the Santa Cruz vs. Flores match up, as well as your critique of the WBA.
As far as Ortiz showing his age goes: at this point, he hasn’t shown much of his age, so I think its a very hypothetical argument that he will show it now. I don’t have enough insight into Ortiz’ preparations for this fight (except for his team’s usual propaganda), but I think Ortiz is taking this fight very seriously. This means that he should be prepared well.
Ortiz may look as dumb as Wilder, but even that may work to his adventure: all he seems to know to do is box, and that’s all he will be asked to do.
Even if Ortiz will not manage to expose Wilder’s flaws, someone else will do so sooner than later.
I haven’t seen a good undercard fight since tommy Morrison was fighting on the foreman Holyfield undercard
lol
And yet you’re going to watch it so…..
The rematch? How will this be different? It won’t because Wilder got big 2 lessons in his last few fights. In the Kong fight he felt what it was to get hit by a real hwt that can crack, and he held up. In the Fury fight he learned, that in any round he can crack hard enough to put anyone down. Wilder who I see as a rank amateur with explosive power knows what to expect from Kong. As for Kong, he knows very well that at anytime he can go to sleep fighting Wilder. So I.M.H.O the results we be a K.O for Wilder because Kong is going to THINK he knows how to stop Wilder, however Wilder KNOWS how to stop KONG. Wilder by brutal K.O 7, 8,or 9th round. Whatever I think of Wilder and his amateurish ways, does not mean he cannot crack like Foreman.
@Steve: these are all valid points, no doubt. However, who says that Ortiz hasn’t learned anything from the fight? He’s the technically better boxer and he can crack, and that’s why I think he has a good chance to knock out Wilder. But yes, the scenario you describe is more likely. Either way, I think its an interesting fight. Ortiz is certainly no push over or cheap opponent. The only thing he has going against him is his age, but 40 is not that bad for a HW.
Stone, 40 years may not be old, but in a fight that you can turn into Methusalah in the very same round these things do happen when you’re older. I happen to like Kong,but in no way is he not going to get hit by Wilder. One thing I know from having been around since the beginning of time 🙂 it’s very rare once a guy has your number and knows how to K.O you the results are often the same. The hwts of today are limited I.M.O. but no matter because they’re bigger and in many cases hit harder (Ex) Wlad, Vitali, Lennox. Wilder has something else which I have not seen in a very long time, he has the ability to stop a charging Rhino in any round, with that said, the only way I see Kong even getting close to winning this fight, he must do a Floyd Mayweather, and run and hold for 12 rounds, if NOT he is going DOWN!!!! DOWN GOES KONG!!!DOWN GOES KONG. Kong has fallen off the empire state building.
Amateur ways? Wilder was an Olympian fighter….you dont go to the olympics for being an amateur. Learn boxing before you comment with ignorance
Alex, A rank amateur is a nice way of saying he would not know how to box oranges. He hits very hard that is power, boxing skills are an entirely different skill. And please do not call by your 1st and last name IGNORANCE.
Wilder is on a mission in this fight to KO Ortiz and get a spotlight of respect by some critics. The way Fury fought in his last recent fight, he looked stagnant and did more dancing than fighting. That being said, Fury and Wilder in a rematch could create an atmosphere for disaster for Fury unless he shapes up. It’s too bad Fury does not have the power that Wilder possesses as it would establish him as a “complete total package” fighter. Boxers can turn old in one fight or seem to look older in their styles as time progresses. Fury and Ortiz have both demonstrated that issue in their recent fights. Oh boy, here comes all the pro-Fury fans attacking me…….LOL
Scooby Doo, Wilders so called power worked against 40 bums, the only real fighter he KOd was the old man Ortiz.
The reason I believe Wilder will flatten Ortiz before the 5th is that he is an improved fighter, less careless, not longer throwing his punches to the fence, Ortiz in the other hand still the same as a boxer, but as a man, he is getting too old for this sport, where he has been maybe almost 25 years.
Fight night we will about to see one boxer reaching his real prime and another trying to find the words for his retirement
Well Ortiz looks poor in that photo.
Yawn!!