Jarrell Miller: Wilder Hit Luis Ortiz Behind Head, Ref Helped Him!

By Radio Rahim

Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller was watching very closely last month, when Deonay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) retained his WBC heavyweight title with a tenth round stoppage of previously undefeated Cuban contender Luis Ortiz.

Earlier in the fight, in the seventh round, Ortiz had Wilder in very serious trouble and was close to stopping him before the round ended.

Wilder was able to survive, but there were post-fight complaints from the Ortiz camp - who argued that the referee called for a break at the start of the eight round - which they claim provided Wilder with additional time to recover from the prior round's punishment.

Wilder's camp argued back, stating that it wasn't their decision to call a break. They said the decision was made by the ringside physician who wanted to confirm that Wilder was physically capable of continuing.

When the contest resumed, Wilder was able to rally back as the contest played out and scored two knockdowns in the tenth to secure the stoppage victory.

There were some complaints that Ortiz got hit a few times behind the head - which Miller agrees with.

He felt Wilder pegged Ortiz several times behind the head, and also believes the referee was pulling some strings to solidify a victory for the 'Bronze Bomber.'

"We all know that Wilder is vulnerable when he gets hit, [he does] the rabbit punching behind the head, the referee was definitely pulling for him to get the win [and pulling for] their promotional side so they can make the Deontay and AJ fight," Miller told BoxingScene.com.

"If Ortiz would have been hurt the way Deontay was, they would have definitely stopped that fight in 10 or 15 seconds after 40 or so punches unanswered. Like I said, he definitely got the win, he did what he had to do, but he definitely got some help from the referee."