Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz - March 3 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION)

Wilder vs. Ortiz
March 3, 2018
Barclays Center
Brooklyn, New York, USA

Main Card:
Deontay Wilder (39-0)   vs.               (28-0) Luis Ortiz   
Main Event |  WBC Title Fight | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)

Andre Dirrell (26-2)       vs.       (26-2) Jose Uzcategui   
Co-Main Event |   Interim IBF Title Fight | Super Middleweight | 168 lbs (76 kg)

Jermall Charlo (26-0)     vs.    (28-0) Hugo Centeno Jr   
Main Card |  WBC Title Fight | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)

Patrick Day (14-2)         vs.         (13-1) Kyrone Davis   
Main Card | Super Welterweight | 154 lbs (70 kg)

Undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will face his toughest opponent to date when he meets hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz on Saturday, March 3 from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING and presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

True heavyweights in every sense of the word, the 6-foot-7, 228-pound Wilder and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Ortiz have 62 combined knockout victories.

The 32-year-old Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), the only reigning American heavyweight world champion, is a knockout artist with the power to end any fight in spectacular fashion. His only professional match that went the distance was the fight in which he won his world title with a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne on Jan. 17, 2015 -the birthday of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. The champion out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama added Stiverne to his list of knockout victims in his last fight with a devastating first round destruction in their rematch at Barclays Center on Nov. 4.
Wilder was originally supposed to fight Ortiz that night, but Ortiz was pulled from the match after he tested positive for a banned substance. Ortiz was later cleared after the WBC determined he had failed to list medication that he was taking on his pre-testing paperwork, which triggered the positive test. He was assessed a fine and allowed to resume boxing.
 
Wilder, a Bronze Medal winner for the U.S. Olympic boxing team at the 2008 Beijing Games, has successfully defended the title six times. This will be his third title defense at Barclays Center. In his first defense at Barclays Center, Wilder scored a memorable ninth-round knockout over Artur Szpilka back in Jan. 2016.
The 38-year-old Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba by way of Miami, Fla., will make his Barclays Center debut when he meets Wilder for his first title shot. The hard-hitting southpaw turned pro seven years ago after defecting from Cuba and has since been steadily climbing the heavyweight ladder. He cemented his standing in the division with victories over veteran contenders Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott and is the No. 1-ranked contender by the WBC. In his most recent fight, Ortiz scored a devastating second-round knockout of Daniel Martz in Miami, Florida on Dec. 15.
 
If Ortiz wins, he will become the first Cuban born fighter to win a heavyweight world championship.

Wilder 214.75. Damn near his lowest weight ever (actually his lowest weight since his first 3 fights).

Ortiz 241.25, which is basically equal to his last 4 weights. Ortiz does look a little flabby, but maybe that's just him.

Take it for what you will.

Unless Wilder is overtrained, the speed difference will likely be very apparent. Ortiz is a timing guy as it is, but he may have trouble catching Wilder.

Big edge goes to Wilder clearly on athleticism, but Ortiz does have rare technical skills for such a big guy. A bloated up James Toney showed how competitive he could be by at heavyweight by relying on skills.

I had at a time favored Ortiz, but I don't favor him now.

Wilder is apparently -325 in the odds to Oriz at +200. Pretty wide, though not extraordinarily wide.

Scratch that.

Fuck it, I got Ortiz winning.

That's what I consistently thought in the past, and I'm going to say that is still the case.

Wilder is too flawed, and Ortiz is heavy handed.

I wouldn't be surprised if Wilder tries to blitz Ortiz, and we'll see how it works out for him.