Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images
Less than two years after a brutal slugfest in Los Angeles, Heavyweight knockout machines Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz are set to battle once more for the WBC title, headlining a four-fight main card in Las Vegas.
MMAmania will have LIVE coverage of Saturday’s main event, which caps off a FOX pay-per-view that begins at 9:00 PM Eastern.
The two first locked horns in March of 2018, both undefeated and both coming off of quick knockout victories. Ortiz fought back from an early knockdown to give “The Bronze Bomber” absolute hell, including a borderline 10-8 round, but ultimately succumbed to the champion’s vicious power.
The card also features a garbage 130-pound title fight between Leo Santa Cruz and Miguel Flores, plus a pair of genuinely excellent matchups in Luis Nery vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Brandon Figueroa vs. Julio Ceja.
The big boys get first billing, though, so that’s what we’re looking at.
Name: Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder
Age: 34
Record: 41-0-1 (40 KO)
Last Five Fights: Dominic Breazeale (KO-1), Tyson Fury (Split Draw), Luis Ortiz (TKO-10), Bermane Stiverne (KO-1), Gerald Washington (TKO-5)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): None
VS.
Name: Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz
Age: 40
Record: 31-1 (26 KO)
Last Five Fights: Christian Hammer (UD), Travis Kauffman (KO-10), Razvan Cojanu (KO-2), Deontay Wilder (TKO-10 Loss), Daniel Martz (TKO-2)
Significant Victories (other than those mentioned above): Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson
THE FIGHT
Going into the first fight, Deontay Wilder’s biggest question mark throughout his career had been his chin. Viewers realized his earth-shattering power and…”questionable” technique early on, but with a knockout loss in the amateurs and a knockdown suffered against no-hoper Harold Sconiers early in his professional career, there remained plenty of intrigue around what would happen when he got hit flush.
It didn’t help that Wilder could probably sweat his way to the 200-pound Cruiserweight limit despite being 6’7”, were he so inclined . Everything about him screams “glass jaw,” and when the hulking Ortiz shrugged off an early knockdown and started teeing off, confirmation appeared imminent.
But Wilder took it. Ortiz, a frightening puncher in his own right with a deceptive amount of technique to match, couldn’t put his man down. Wilder not only stayed on his feet, but came back to knock Ortiz out three rounds later.
The rematch doesn’t figure to last anywhere near as long; Wilder now knows that he can hurt Ortiz and, by all accounts, withstand the best “King Kong” can offer in return. The last time Wilder had a rematch, he went from cruising past Bermane Stiverne over 12 rounds to mauling him in one. “The Bronze Bomber” has to know that his nuking of Dominic Breazeale wasn’t enough to restore the luster he lost against Fury, so I can easily picture a similar gear shift this time around.
That’s not to say he’s got this in the bag, of course. Ortiz may be 40, but he’s still got bricks for fists and looks to be in terrific shape. We’ve seen countless examples of fighters shrugging off cataclysmic punches only to go down to the most random of glancing blows; the knockout threat is absolutely still there and Wilder’s likely confidence boost just makes it more likely.
Still not that likely, though. Wilder comes out banging and scores an earlier stoppage.
Prediction: Wilder via third-round knockout