Deontay Wilder stopped Luis Ortiz inside 10 rounds following a riveting thriller at the Barclays Center, New York, with Wilder recovering from a torrid 7th to send Ortiz to the canvas thrice. Wilder now makes the seventh defense of his WBC Heavyweight title, raising his unblemished slate to 40 wins, 39 knockouts, while Ortiz suffers his first pro career blip, reducing to 28 wins, 1 defeat, 24 knockouts.
Ortiz may have been the notably older man with the slower legs tonight, but he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, utilizing feints and carefully crafted counters to keep the champion guessing. Ortiz was tough, stood his ground, and did a good job of neutralizing Wilder’s thudding jab. That was the story through the first four rounds (tallied at 39-37 on BB’s card) at least.
From that point on, the night became a whole lot more dramatic. Wilder scored the fight’s first knockdown in the 5th, with a right hand buzzing Ortiz, and a second introducing him to the canvas. With a mere five seconds left on the clock, Ortiz made it to the bell, fought fire with fire in the 6th, and brought on a hellacious surge in the 7th, landing a multitude of clean, unanswered bombs on a hurt, retreating Wilder.
Questions surrounding Wilder’s chin had now been answered, and the champion went on to answer others surrounding his spirit and resolve. Wilder took a round off to recover in the 8th, got settled back into the fight in the 9th, and proved why he’s recognised as one of the most brutal finishers in boxing soon after. Ortiz, likely tiring somewhat following his 7th round surge, got clipped by a right to the temple, and then, following a vicious combination, found himself on the deck for the second time.
With plenty of time left on the clock, the outcome was now written on the wall. Ortiz, unable to recover, was sent to the canvas twice more, with Wilder’s right hand finding full employment until the referee exercised his duty and waved off the contest. For the record, BB had the action scored 86-84 for Ortiz going into that 10th session.
So, we now look toward Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, the Heavyweight division’s most anticipated showdown. That encounter, which can hopefully come together somewhere along the line in the 2018 schedule, would literally be for all the marbles. Joshua and Wilder are unquestionably the two best, most explosive Heavyweights on the planet, and the victor of their inevitable meeting will settle one of boxing’s biggest scores.
Joshua, who brings the WBA and IBF belts to the table, must of course get by Joseph Parker on March 31, and, short of an upset springing, will then acquire the underdog’s WBO variety. Throw Wilder’s WBC belt into the pot and we’ve got a mouth-watering clash that can produce an undisputed champion. Now, if memory serves me correctly, the last undisputed Heavyweight champ was Lennox Lewis back in the nineties. So, you know, there’s good reason to get excited about this superfight.
Empty your own thoughts on Deontay Wilder’s victory tonight, where Luis Ortiz goes from here, plus Wilder’s chances against Anthony Joshua.
