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Preview: Wilder vs Ortiz II

Date: November 19, 2019

By: Michael Daly

WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder will defend his belt in a rematch bout against 40-year-old challenger Luis Ortiz on Nov. 23 in Las Vegas, NV, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

This rematch comes nearly two years after the two men stepped in the ring for the first time and put on an instant classic performance that included both Wilder and Ortiz getting hurt. The initial match took place on Mar. 3, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. One distinct advantage for Wilder in this go-around is that he will be facing an opponent that is two years older and is at the end of their prime. Most notably, Ortiz was looked at as the boogeyman of the heavyweight division for several years.

The Cuban smasher still poses an incredible threat, but his first fight with Wilder exposed weaknesses that no other fighter was able to reveal. Ortiz looked dominant throughout the early rounds and even in parts of the middle rounds, but he quickly disappeared once Wilder showed how resilient he was.

In the first bout, Wilder (40-0-1, 40 KOs) was given his first serious test of character and internal fortitude because he had to come back from being battered against the ropes by Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) in the seventh round. There was one point in the round where it looked like Wilder may have been out on his feet. Many people argued that the referee David Fields should have stopped the fight then.

When facing “The Bronze Bomber,” not only is it necessary to be able to weather the storm of power punches, but it is also imperative to keep up with Wilder’s conditioning. From the sixth round on in the first fight, Ortiz was throwing arm punches at Wilder and that might have been why he was not able to finish off Wilder when he hurt him. Wilder’s ability to withstand the power from Ortiz seemed to strip away Ortiz’s second wind and confidence. Wilder was the better conditioned fighter and it showed because he maintained his power through the 10th round, when the fight was stopped.

In the training camp for the rematch with Wilder, Ortiz is training in Las Vegas and is working with renowned strength and conditioning coach, Larry Wade. Notable champions that Wade has trained are Shawn Porter, Badou Jack, and Caleb Plant. Wade has Ortiz performing his workouts on the track at UNLV’s campus like he does with every fighter he coaches. The most important thing for the Ortiz camp is that their fighter is in peak shape for when fight night comes around on Saturday.

During one of the workout sessions, a film crew from Fox Sports was on-site, and Wade talked about Ortiz’s training for the Wilder fight; “Deontay has very long arms and a long reach. For us to close the distance, we either have to do it with arm length or feet. [Ortiz] is doing a lot with his feet to close the distance. That’s what you have to do to a guy like that.”

Ortiz hopes to uphold his stamina, which is one of the hardest things to do against Wilder. One part of Ortiz’s arsenal that will make him an undeniable threat is his ability to be a technician from the southpaw stance and hit his opponent with crushing power.

His Cuban boxing background allows him to have fundamentals that are not used by any other heavyweight. Even though Ortiz was stopped by Wilder, he showed that Wilder was not infallible. There were a few moments in the fight where it looked like Wilder was holding on to for Ortiz for dear life after getting hit with a straight left.

Wilder has fought twice in the last year. In December 2018, Wilder took part in one of the most memorable heavyweight fights in recent memory against Tyson Fury. The fight ended in a split-draw because of how both fighters were able to rally after facing serious adversity. Most people believe that Fury was winning the fight on points, but Wilder’s insane power kept him alive and he knocked Fury down several times.

After the draw, Wilder’s next fight was against challenger Dominic Breazeale on May 18, 2019. Wilder knocked out Breazeale in epic fashion at the Barclays Center in the first round. For Ortiz, he has fought three times since the Wilder fight almost two years. He actually fought on the undercard of Wilder vs Fury, when he knocked out Travis Kauffman. It was reported that Ortiz was offered a deal to fight Anthony Joshua in June, after Jarrell Miller tested positive for banned substances in the training camp for his scheduled bout against Joshua.

Ortiz turned down the offer from Matchroom Boxing to fight Joshua because he viewed the deal as a “low-ball” offer. Even though he has not been able to fight any elite heavyweights, Ortiz believes that he is more prepared in the second fight with Wilder, than he was in the first.

There is a lot at stake for this fight because the winner will mostly likely go on to face either Tyson Fury or take part in a trilogy fight. If Wilder wins, there is a looming date set with Tyson Fury in the early part of 2020 for a rematch. If Ortiz comes out of Saturday night with a victory, then he will either give Wilder a third fight or take on Fury and or possibly the winner of the Andy Ruiz-Joshua rematch, which takes place Dec. 7.

A second loss for Ortiz could mean the end of the road for him as a serious title contender, since he is 40-years-old. This second fight is shaping up to be action packed and important for the careers of both fighters.

Michael Daly is the Web Editor for WSOU Sports and can be reached at wsousportswebeditor@gmail.com.

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