Did you catch Luis Ortiz dispatch of yet another soft touch on the weekend’s Golovkin-Lemieux support? Well he did, savagely knocking out Matias Vidondo in 3 rounds. But there is good news, folks: Ortiz will finally dance with his first legitimate threat on December 19th.
The opponent in question is Bryant Jennings, a capable boxer who showed his stuff against Wladimir Klitschko in April. No, the affair wasn’t particularly competitive, but Jennings didn’t suffer any knockdowns or serious damage en route to seeing the final bell. Hey, it’s an achievement of sorts.
Ortiz-Jennings will take place on the Nicholas Walters-Jason Sosa Undercard, and it looks to be fairly well matched. Ortiz possesses the greater power and ‘Cuban-style’ Amateur background, but Jennings doesn’t pale too much in comparison.
Jennings is just one inch shorter at 6’ 3”, matches Ortiz for reach, and is 5 years his junior. In terms of opposition, Jennings has perhaps faced the higher calibre (but I won’t waste time making comparisons since it’s too difficult to compare fringe-contender Heavyweights these days).
I’ll just say that any fighter who can go the distance with Klitschko knows how to hold his own in the ring. Ortiz has never been the full 12 himself, having only been 8 rounds twice in his pro career. Take what you will from that.
Ortiz-Jennings is set to unfold at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, and is scheduled for 12 rounds. Going into the bout, Ortiz carries 23 wins, no defeats, 20 knockouts, and Jennings 19 wins, 1 defeat, 10 knockouts.
How do you see Ortiz-Jennings playing out?
