Golden Boy VP Open to Working With Anyone for Luis Ortiz Fights

by David P. Greisman
 
Golden Boy Promotions has a heavyweight contender on its hands with Luis Ortiz, who stopped Bryant Jennings late last year and then finished late replacement opponent Tony Thompson in the sixth round this past weekend.
 
But the other top heavyweights are all with other promoters. Yet Eric Gomez, Golden Boy’s vice president, thinks that shouldn’t be a problem.
 
“He’s got the speed. He’s got the power. He’s got the charisma,” Gomez said shortly after Ortiz beat Thompson. “We’ll see. But with the help of HBO, we’re going to continue to pound and pound and pound until one of the big guys opens up the door.”

Ortiz clearly has a platform on HBO, which is building up potential challengers to the winner of the rematch between champion Tyson Fury and former champ Wladimir Klitschko. That’s why a match like Ortiz vs. Thompson was still aired on the network, which wanted to feature Ortiz and build him up.
 
Ortiz, who holds the World Boxing Association’s interim heavyweight title in a division that also has two other WBA titleholders, does owe a mandatory defense against Alexander Ustinov, who is 33-1 with 24 KOs and has won six straight since an 11th-round knockout loss to Kubrat Pulev back in 2012. Ustinov is with promoter Frank Warren.

“Of course we can make the fight. Well start talking to them and see if there’s a deal we can get done,” Gomez said. “It all depends on Ustinov and Frank Warren. If he’s reasonable, then we’ll get the fight done.”

Then again, the fight can happen without a deal being made between the two parties. That's why sanctioning bodies do purse bids in the case of mandated fights.
 
The other major fighters, meanwhile, include Deontay Wilder, who is with Al Haymon, the adviser whom Golden Boy Promotions is presently suing and who may be facing Alexander Povetkin next; Charles Martin, also with Haymon and defending soon against British contender Anthony Joshua; and Joseph Parker, an undefeated prospect from New Zealand.
 
“We want the best fights,” Gomez said. “We’ll work with any promoter if there’s a real heavyweight champion out there that’s willing to give him the opportunities.”
 
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