WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder faces his toughest test to date this evening (Sat., March 3, 2018) when he takes on Cuban bruiser Luis Ortiz inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
MMAmania.com will have LIVE coverage of “Wilder vs. Ortiz,” starting with the Showtime broadcast at 10 p.m. Eastern.
Wilder (39-0, 38 KO) was actually booked to face Ortiz (28-0, 24 KO) last year, but another failed drug test by “King Kong” cost him his shot at the title, leaving Wilder to obliterate Bermane Stiverne in one round. WBC accepted Ortiz’s explanation that he had accidentally ingested tainted meat, however, and so here we are again.
The co-feature might have even more bad blood. Andre Dirrell (26-2, 16 KO) and Jose Uzcategui (26-2, 22 KO) were in the middle of a competitive fight last June when Uzcategui knocked Dirrell out with a shot after the bell, resulting in a DQ victory for the latter. To make things worse, Dirrell’s uncle and trainer, Leon Lawson, sucker-punched Uzcategui afterwards and fled from law enforcement.
Let’s hope for a little less of that this time.
“Wilder Vs. Ortiz” Quick Results:
Heavyweight: Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz — Wilder def. Ortiz by knockout at 2:05 of Round Ten
Super Middleweight: Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui — Uzcategui def. Dirrell by TKO (corner stoppage) at 0:02 of Round Nine
“Wilder Vs. Ortiz” Play-By-Play Results:
Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz
Round one: Wilder orthodox, Ortiz southpaw. Ortiz firing combinations early. One minute in. Wilder tries a jab. One minute to go. Wilder gets a little overeager and runs into a straight left. They exchange in the center. 10-9 Ortiz.
Round two: Wilder pawing with his left hand. Ortiz steps in and appears to slip. One minute in. They trade and Wilder wobbles a bit. Neither of them have landed clean. One minute to go. Ortiz jab, slapping shot from Wilder. 10-9 Wilder(?), 19-19.
Round three: Ortiz jabs the body. Still can’t quite reach Wilder. Now a jab lands. One minute in. Crowd’s not happy. Ortiz backs him to the corner, can’t reach him. Wilder is really doing nothing. 10-9, 29-28 Ortiz.
Round four: 1-2 from Wilder. Ortiz blocks a combo. One minute in. Ortiz to the body. 3-2 lands for Ortiz. This sucks. Good straight left by Ortiz. One minute to go. Ortiz tries to open up, Wilder warned for pushing. 10-9, 39-37 Ortiz.
Round five: This fight is terrible. Uppercut lands for Ortiz. Body shots. One minute in. Ortiz lands another body shot inside. One minute to go. Ortiz backs him to the corner, lands a combination. Hard right hand by Wilder. HUGE right hand and Ortiz wobbles to the mat. Ortiz shrugging after he gets to his feet. 10-8 Wilder, 47-47.
Round six: Ortiz still on the advance. Both fire combinations, neither lands clean. Technical difficulties keep me from seeing the rest of the round. Going by the highlights, 10-9, 57-56 Wilder.
Round seven: Lots of pawing early on, no real punches. One minute in. Right hand from Wilder. One minute to go. Two right hooks land and Wilder looks wobbly. Wilder ties up while Ortiz tries to open up. Big punches by the Cuban. HUGE overhand left. Ortiz rips to the body and head, lands more savage rights before the bell. 10-8 without a knockdown, 66-65 Ortiz.
Round eight: They examine Wilder in the corner for reasons unknown before the round starts. Ortiz landing some savage left hands early. Right hook lands around the guard. Wilder fires back, eats another left. One minute in. Ortiz backs him to the corner, goes to the body, lands a right hook upstairs. Another shot to the body. One minute to go. Ortiz continuing to find the mark. 10-9, 76-74 Ortiz.
Round nine: More technical issues because God forbid I get to actually enjoy a fight. Halfway through. Wilder with a slapping hook. Ortiz lands a straight left, then a 1-2. One minute to go. Wilder firing his jab. Suddenly, in the waning seconds. Wilder appears to find the mark with a round hand. They slug it out at the bell. 10-9 Wilder, 85-84 Ortiz.
Round ten: Ortiz continues to walk forward, trading jabs. Simultaneous impact and both men appear hurt. Ortiz got the worst of it, though, and he gets a break when Wilder throws him to the mat for a called slip. Wilder slugging away and he sends Ortiz to his hands and knees. Ortiz beats the count and the ref allows him to continue, only for Wilder to annihilate Ortiz with an uppercut.
Final result: Wilder def. Ortiz by knockout
Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui
Round six: Aight, guess we’ll start the round-by-round here now that the 222 Prelims are over with.
Uzcategui opens with body shots. Dirrell firing his jab. Uzcategui backs him to the corner, looks for the body as he exits. Jab exchange. One minute in. Uzcategui with a hook upstairs. Dirrell pops him with a straight left, more jabs. Hook upstairs by Uzcategui, more lancing rights from Dirrell. One minute to go. Dirrell uppercut inside. Dirrell lands a good combo. Uzcategui finds the mark with a right, eats a body shot. Dirrell round.
Round seven: Uzcategui still pressuring. Body blow exchange, hook from Uzcategui up top. Dirrell jabs the body, lands a straight upstairs. One minute in. Combo from Uzcategui. Uzcategui goes low-high. Hook upstairs. One minute to go. Dirrell throws a punch as the ref is separating them and earns a warning. Dirrell firing his jabs. Sharp counter left. Uzcategui round.
Round eight: Uzcategui to the body early. Uzcategui landing some very solid shots in the early going. Mixing it up to the head and body. One minute in. Now Dirrell fires back. Now Dirrell lands a good left hand. Jabs from Uzcategui. 1-2 lands. One minute to go. Body shot, hook upstairs. Uzcategui lands another series of heavy shots. Uzcategui round.
The corner calls it. Uzcategui wins by stoppage
Final result: Uzcategui def. Dirrell by TKO (corner stoppage)