By Ryan Burton
WBA #1 rated heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz (27-0) was a very interested observer of Saturday's WBA/IBF/IBO heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium. Anthony Joshua climbed off the canvas to stop Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round of one of the most exciting heavyweight fights in recent years.
Ortiz is the WBA's mandatory challenger and was supposed to be next in line to face Joshua, but earlier this week WBA President Gilberto J Mendoza said that he may give the Joshua-Klitschko winner a "special permit" to make a voluntary defense before facing mandatory challenger Ortiz.
The 38-year-old Cuban recently signed with boxing power broker Al Haymon and was scheduled to return to the ring last Saturday against Derric Rossy but was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. He stated after news of the injury was released that he would wait for his shot against the Joshua-Klitschko winner instead of taking an interim fight.
After watching Joshua hit the canvas, Ortiz is even more confident that he will stop the 2012 Olympic gold medalist.
"I feel more than ever that I will ko Joshua within 8 rounds - but I also feel that after Klitschko dropped Joshua with one punch that Eddie Hearn will never let Joshua get in the ring with me. To me Klitschko let him off the hook. I wouldn't have. I would have had him out of there in that 6th round," said Ortiz to BoxingScene.com.
"Look, it's simple. Eddie will protect his cash cow. You heard it yourself, how Joshua didn't mention my name knowing I'm next for him but he called out [Tyson] Fury after fight. I saw weakness. I saw a fighter that can be dropped with one punch. I even say he got lucky they stopped the fight because he wasn't even landing a punch when it got stopped. If they wouldn't have stopped it he was gassed out again - plain and simple."
The Cuban southpaw hopes to face Joshua in the fall and hopes that the Brit honors his mandatory status. Ortiz said that regardless of what Joshua does he expects to fight for the WBA title before the year is over.
"I congratulate the young man for courage but I'm next and that is that. Look, my team let that fight happen because the WBA and Eddie Hearn asked us for a favor and because Klitschko didn't want to fight me but I'm done being pushed back. It's my time and I want my WBA belt so yeah I'm calling Joshua out. If he likes he can just give up the belt but if not then October or November sounds good to me so it's your move boy. To be the best you have to fight the best," Ortiz told BoxingScene.com.
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