Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
On Saturday, December 19, 2015, Luis Ortiz (24-0, 21 KOs) scored a seventh-round TKO victory against former title challenger Bryant Jennings (19-2, 10 KOs) to successfully defend his interim WBA Heavyweight title at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.
The scheduled 12-round fight headlined an HBO-televised double-header that was jointly promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
Ortiz, 36, is a former amateur standout from Cuba, a place who other slick boxers such as Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara call their homeland.
This Heavyweight titlist, however, packs a bigger punch and demonstrated it early with counter uppercuts that were set up by several long jabs and which hurt Jennings early in the fight.
“My strategy was to keep him at a distance and I was able to do that effectively with my reach and my jab,” said Ortiz.
Jennings, 31, had just recently fought for the Heavyweight crown against Wladimir Klitschko and came up short. After switching trainers from his long-time trainer Fred Jenkins to John David Jackson, Jennings came into the fight with a more aggressive style.
The aggression backfired as early as Round 1 when Ortiz hurt Jennings early with counter shots. The one he was looking for most, it was clear, was the uppercut.
In Round 7, as Jennings closed the distance, Ortiz landed a right and left uppercut that sent Jennings to the canvas with his face against the ground.
— RoundByRoundBoxing (@RBRBoxing) December 20, 2015
the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native got back to his feet, but he was clearly hurt. It would only take a few more shot for referee Dick Pakozdi to stop the fight.
Jennings suffered his second straight loss and yet another setback to his career.
“I wasn’t on my game, and he got the best of me,” Jennings said.
As for Ortiz, the slick southpaw has silenced critics and looks to legitimatize himself as a Heavyweight contender.
“I have been training for a big of this magnitude for three years. This victory proves something that I have been saying for years, I am a serious contender for the heavyweight world title,” said Ortiz.
“This is a new era in boxing and everyone saw today that I have what it takes to face the elite of the division,” said Ortiz.
After Wladimir Klistchko’s loss to Tyson Fury earlier this month, the Heavyweight division looks a bit more interesting because many people don’t feel Fury will be as dominant and long-reigning a champion as Klitschko was.
This means that besides Fury, Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua and now Luis Ortiz can all have a chance for recognition as the best in the world.
Ortiz said he’s willing to face any of them.
“I will fight who ever next, whoever Golden Boy Promotions gives me I will take. Wilder, Fury, Klitschko anyone of them, I am ready to prove that I am the Heavyweight world champion,” said Ortiz.
#JenningsOrtiz Highlights #Boxing #RBRBoxing pic.twitter.com/4gHN8u28Dk
— RoundByRoundBoxing (@RBRBoxing) December 20, 2015
