Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz Preview Nov. 23rd
Unbeaten WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Alabama will be defending his crown against southpaw Luis Ortiz of Cuba in a rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, November 23rd. The contest can be seen live in the UK on Sky Sports Action while American fans can catch it on Fox pay per view. Wilder last fought in May when he stopped Dominic Breazeale in 137 seconds while Ortiz last fought in March when he beat Christian Hammer via a 10-round unanimous decision. Wilder handed Ortiz his lone loss as a pro when he stopped him in the 10th round in a slugfest in March of 2018.
Wilder vs Ortiz Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Luis Ortiz +495
- Deontay Wilder -620
My Pick
The 34-year-old Wilder beat former WBC champ Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision in January, 2015 to claim the title and he’s been the champion ever since with this being his 10th defence. Before running into Stiverne, Wilder had stopped all 32 of his opponents including Malik Scott, Owen Beck and Audley Harrison. The Bronze Bomber will climb into the ring with a fine record of 41-0-1 along with 40 Kos. Wilder is a former Olympic bronze medalist who became the first American since Shannon Briggs in 2007 to own a portion of the heavyweight title when he beat Stiverne.
Wilder is basically known for two things, which are his size and his power. He stands 6-feet-7-inches tall with an 83-inch reach and has stopped every man he’s faced except Tyson Fury and Stiverne in their first meeting. He stopped Stiverne with a second remaining in the first round in in their November 2017 rematch and dropped Fury in the ninth and 12th rounds during their draw last December. Therefore, Wilder’s decked every opponent he’s faced as a pro.
The champion has 136 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2008 and his knockout ratio currently stands at a highly-impressive 95.2 per cent. Just five of his 40 KO victims have made it past the fifth round. However, they were five of his last nine opponents; Luis Ortiz, Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka and Chris Arreola. So in general, Wilder’s fights are lasting longer than they were earlier in his career even though he destroyed Breazeale in the first round the last time out. Wilder was nailed by Ortiz in their first fight and by Fury, but showed he has an excellent chin and a lot of heart.
Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz is listed as being 40 years old and after an extensive amateur career and he enters the ring as a pro with a mark of 31-1 with 26 Kos. As his record shows, he’s a hard-hitting heavyweight who has a very impressive current knockout ratio of 76.5 per cent. This is his 12th fight since 2015 and he’s has blasted 13 of his last 20 opponents out in four rounds or less. He isn’t interested in hearing what the judges have to say about his performances as he’s always looking for a stoppage. Ortiz appeared to be on the edge of stopping Wilder last March, but couldn’t put him down though.
Ortiz has decent hand speed for a big guy and likes to throw combinations, but other than Wilder, Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott, he hasn’t faced a steady stream of top-quality opponents. Still, he’s a solid contender who has 154 rounds of action under his belt since turning pro in 2010. He’s got good size at 6-feet-4-inches and with a reach of 78 inches but gives up three inches in height and five inches in reach to Wilder. The Cuban’s biggest wins have been against the likes of Thompson, Jennings, Lateef Kayote, Bert Cooper and Monte Barrett. However, his first-round KO over Kayote in 2014 was changed to a no decision after he Ortiz failed a drug test.
Prediction…
Nobody really knows how old Ortiz is but he just keeps coming forward in most bouts and has the power to stop the majority of heavyweights. He staggered Wilder in their first meeting but couldn’t finish the job and ultimately paid for it. Ortiz was dropped in the fifth round of that fight and then twice more in the 10th when he was stopped. Both Ortiz and Wilder have the power to hurt each other with the champion being lethal with both hands. Wilder also has the edge when it comes to their chins and has an awkward but effective style. He doesn’t own natural, free-flowing boxing skills and Fury showed he can be frustrated by big opponents with better skills. Whoever gets rocked first in this fight will have to make sure they hold on and even though Ortiz definitely has a puncher’s chance I’m expecting Wilder to beat him again.
Wilder is younger, has a good chin and arguably more power.
Play: Wilder -620 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Deontay Wilder betting • Luis Ortiz betting