Luis Ortiz Will Face Tony Thompson
With Alexander Dimitrenko pulling out, Heavyweight bruiser Luis Ortiz will now be clashing with veteran Tony Thompson on March 5th. Is this a better or worse fight for our No.6-ranked Ortiz? Well, it’s hard to say – so keep it simple and objective, I think we can all agree that Thompson, while being a little over the hill, is still capable enough to at least give Ortiz some much-needed rounds.
There’s still a bunch of questions marks hovering over Ortiz right now, especially since the only serious test of his career thus far came against Bryant Jennings last December. Ortiz passed with flying colours in that contest, beasting Jennings en route to a 7th round stoppage, but you never know, a cunning operator like Thompson might be able to ask some questions in this one.
What to do in the meantime? Well, Heavyweight fans will continue to restlessly wait for decent scraps like Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua vs David Haye and Luis Ortiz vs…well, any of the aforementioned…to come to fruition. Come on, like you weren’t thinking it already?
Malik Scott Believes He Deserves David Haye Fight Next
It’s not riveting news or a pairing to get particularly excited about, but just so you know, Heavyweight fringe contender Malik Scott fancies his chances against David Haye. Why is that exactly? you might ask. Well, according to a Scott (38-2-1, 13 KO) interview with Boxing News, he has “the best skill set in the Heavyweight division today.”
Yup. And I’m not going to comment further since the once promising upstart is no longer considered a threat to anyone outside of the Top 10. Yes, he’s claimed the scalps of Alex Leapai and Tony Thompson since being sparked by Deontay Wilder in 2014, but has failed to seriously impress in those encounters.
Mmm, then again…Haye (27-2, 25 KO) has been out of the ring for what seems like a hundred years, so why not a Haye vs Scott clash? Perhaps Scott could give the ‘Hayemaker’ a few rounds, maybe even put up a good fight? My guess is Scott could at least last a round or two longer than January’s dangerously overmatched Mark de Mori.
“I deserve and should get a fight against David Haye,” Scott went on. “It makes so much sense. Tell Haye not to go the easy route and not pick me. He has to fight me. No other fight makes sense. Let’s do it, me and Haye, baby.”
Juergen Braehmer to Face Eduard Gutknecht
WBA Light Heavyweight champ Juergen Braehmer will be defending his 175-pound strap against Eduard Gutknecht on March 12th, with Neubrandenburg, Germany hosting the event. Gutknecht (47-2, 35 KO) is a former stablemate and opponent of his scheduled foe’s, losing his European title to Braehmer via Unanimous Decision back in 2013.
So is this a good match-up? Hell no! Braehmer is levels above Gutknecht, and more importantly, isn’t it about time we saw the Top 10 Light Heavyweights actually fighting, you know, each other? I know boxing politics can get in the way of big fights, but how many times will Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson and Juergen Braehmer realistically avoid each other?
In fact, I don’t want to know the answer to that question.
Armed Police Patrolling Streets Following Weigh-In Shoot Up
Following last Friday’s shooting, armed police have been patrolling the streets of Dublin, Ireland. Jamie Kavanagh vs Joao Bento has now been postponed after one man died and two were seriously injured at the Regency Hotel weigh-in. Eye witness saw men dressed in police uniforms carry out the shooting, with a gangland feud or the Continuity IRA allegedly being responsible for the attack.
“We are also conscious that there is speculation people may be talking about retaliation in this matter,” assistant Garda Commissioner Jack Nolan told Boxing News. “There have been numerous patrols, armed patrols out in Dublin city last night [Friday] and they will continue in the coming days.”
WBA Orders Uchiyama vs Fortuna
So we’re not going to be seeing Takashi Uchiyama vs Nicholas Walters, but Uchiyama vs Javier Fortuna isn’t a match-up to scoff at exactly. In fact, even though Uchiyama is looking pretty unstoppable right now, this is pretty tasty stuff.
Nothing’s set in stone yet, but if either man fancies holding onto their titles (Uchiyama holds the WBA ‘Super’, Fortuna the ‘Regular’) they’d better decide to touch gloves in the very near future. Yes, the WBA have ordered the fight, giving the pair thirty days to negotiate terms before going to a purse bid.
If given the green light, Uchiyama (24-0-1, 21 KO) will be coming in off a 3rd round TKO of Oliver Flores last December, and Fortuna (29-0-1, 21 KO) following a 10th round TKO of Carlos Ivan Velasquez last September. While Uchiyama appears to be in a league of his own, will the ten year age gap between them (Fortuna is the more youthful at 26) play a significant enough role to make this fight fiercely competitive?
