Cuban boxer Luis Ortiz, nicknamed ‘King Kong’, will seek to become the new heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Council when he faces the ‘king of the KO’, the American Deontay Wilder in Brooklyn.
Wilder, with an immaculate card of 39 victories and no losses, 38 of them by knockout, is the great favorite defending his belt for the seventh time, but will have his most difficult rival to date in Ortiz.
Not surprisingly, the 38-year-old Cuban has an undefeated record of 28 wins, of which 24 by KO.
Unbeatable isn’t the only thing Wilder and Ortiz share: they both fight for their families.
“When I look at his journey and see everything he has done for his family, I realize that we boxed for the same reasons,” Wilder explained of his opponent, whose one of his daughters suffers from a genetic disease.
“He must also make his family live,” recalled the American, who landed in the ring to pay the medical bills for his daughter born with a malformation of the spine.
That is why Wilder agreed to give ‘King Kong’ another chance after he tested positive for two doping tests, the last one just before their fight, originally scheduled for November.
– Cuban school –
Ortiz will fight for the WBC crown for the first time while for Wilder it will be his seventh defense. And the local does not forgive the tricks of his rival.
“The situation you are in does not matter or if you want to succeed in your sport, I do not accept it, and less in the case of Ortiz, who did not recognize his mistakes,” he warned.
The fight will measure two opponents with opposite styles, both with impressive physiques (2.01 m and 102 kg for Wilder, 1.93 m and 105 km for his opponent) and with personalities that do not go unnoticed.
«Many boxers have avoided facing Luis Ortiz, even current champions. I consider him as one of the best in the category, with a very pure technique and trained by the Cuban school (…) If I want to show that I am the best, I must also face this style of boxer ”, assured the former bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games.
– Waiting for Joshua –
Ortiz did not hide his letters and was confident. “I’m going to knock him out, I’ve come to return with the title,” he promised.
But if there is a name that is heard in the previous one, it is that of the British Anthony Joshua, champion by the International Boxing Federation and by the World Boxing Association.
The most anticipated duel is the one that would face Joshua with Wilder and that could make the box office relive the splendor of the time of Mike Tyson, but the American has accused the British environment of doing everything possible to avoid him.
“I only think about Luis Ortiz for now but the promoter of Joshua (Eddie Hearn) is afraid of me and does not want that fight to take place, he wants to make money with his dairy cow,” said Wilder.
“He is young, we can schedule two fights, even a trilogy, the future is bright,” he concluded.
Before that, Joshua will have to accept the challenge and keep his titles on March 31 in Cardiff, when he meets the New Zealander Joseph Parker, champion by the World Boxing Organization. AFP