This Saturday, November 23, 2019 live on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the previously acquainted Heavyweight rivals–Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz–will be back in the ring looking to bring us yet another action packed war.
Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) will be attempting to make history by taking Wilder’s WBC belt and becoming the first Cuban born Heavyweight champion.
Deontay Wilder (41-0, 40 KOs), who has been on a conquest to unify the Heavyweight titles, is determined on stepping back in the ring to prove he didn’t just land a lucky punch on the Cuban southpaw on March 3, 2018 when the pair initially met in the ring in what was considered to be one of the most intense Heavyweight fights of our decade.
Wilder found success with his jab and straight right hands, smashing Ortiz with a hard right to the nose in the fifth round, causing Ortiz to hit the canvas for the first time in his career.
Immediatly rising to his feet, a shaky Ortiz returned fire and set up Wilder for blistering counterpunches. Being the more technically sound boxer between the two fighters, Ortiz caught some wind in the mid rounds and was able to pick up momentum by applying relentless pressure.
Wilder, who fought the majority of the first fight moving backwards, failed to stay off the ropes and keep the scrap in the middle of the ring.
Attempting to roll with the heavy punches of Ortiz, Wilder came across some adversity as Ortiz came very close to pulling off a huge upset when he unleashed a barrage of punches to the chin and body of Wilder in the seventh round of their bout.
Affected by his faulty stamina, Ortiz could not finish off the champion. Wilder, who capitalized on this weakness, brought Ortiz out to deep waters, loading up on his combinations and using his jab to keep Ortiz at bay.
Wilder countered Ortiz in between exchanges with vicious hooks that sent Ortiz buckling to the canvas two more times before the referee called a stop to the contest.
A disappointed Ortiz reflected on the outcome of the fight and concluded that if he maintained a fight camp dedicated to his stamina issues, the results of his fight with Wilder would be a lot different.
Fighting three times since his fight with Wilder, Ortiz has racked up two more wins by knockout over Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman and one unanimous decision over Christian Hammer.
Coming to the completion of his physical transformation, a much more toned and leaner Ortiz says he is ready to go all 12 rounds if necessary and is excited to get back in the ring to prove he can become the first Cuban Heavyweight champion of the world.
Wilder, who has two very tough fights coming up in Luis Ortiz followed by a second matchup with Tyson Fury, is very motivated on shutting the critics down. When asked about the rematch and why he is so willing to give Ortiz this second matchup, Wilder responded with a classic line.
“It’s in my last name,” said Wilder. “I am and will always be Wilder; King Kong ain’t got nothing on me!”
Choosing a winner for this upcoming bout is tricky. It won’t be an easy fight for either man and both fighters have the chance of closing the show. The second half of the fight will really determine if the outcome will be different this time around.
If Wilder attains ring generalship early, implements his jab to setup power shots and doesn’t take too much punishment in between exchanges, he will stop Ortiz again.
However, if Ortiz attacks Wilder to the body early, applies pressure and doesn’t gas out in the later rounds, we can see a potential upset and be on the road to a trilogy classic.
With an estimated 2.2 million viewers tuning in, we should expect nothing but a classic this upcoming Saturday night in Las Vegas.
