With an announcement seemingly imminent it looks like Deontay Wilder's next opponent will be Luis Ortiz. some media sources have it for March 3rd in Brooklyn but tbc.
Although I've seen a couple of his fights and he clearly packs a punch as a skilled and awkward southpaw, he doesn't have quite the profile on this side of the Atlantic that he appears to Stateside and so I don't think I have the best understanding of where he ranks in the world heavyweight scene.
I've seen plenty of posts where Ortiz is described as the best heavyweight outside the belt holders or the man that everyone wants to avoid. There's also a lot of scepticism voiced about his resume, his age (38 according to wiki) and whether his record is artificially inflated due to PED intake.
Ranking any boxer is complicated due to the politics involved around the various ranking bodies.
For the record, the WBC, which will presumably be sanctioning the fight ranks him at #3 behind champ Wilder, Whyte at #2 and current #3 Breazeale.
If we look at the sites that don't ostensibly represent a financial interest the situation is less clear:
Boxrec has him at #4 below Joshua, Povetkin and Wilder but above Parker at #7.
Transnational Boxing aka TBRP which seeks to give an impartial view and was formed after controversy over changes at The Ring doesn't have him in the top #10 world heavyweights.
The Ring magazine has him at #5, below Fury, Joshua, Wilder and Povetkin.
Espn has Ortiz at 4 behind the three belt holders.
http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/12494121/division-division-rankings-index
He's vastly experienced at amateur level, fighting till he was 30 and with a record of 343 - 19.
His Pro record looks impressive, 30 fights, 28 wins, 24 by knockout, 2 no contests and no defeats, but it's short of class opponents. Malik Scott, Bryant Jennings and a long past his best Tony Thompson were the names that stood out.
The last fights I've seen of his he looks to be on the downturn. Age catching up with him and reliant on his technique to cover for his failing body. But as above I've not seen enough of him to properly judge.
So the question is, how highly do you rate Luis Ortiz. Is he a genuine top 10 heavyweight and if so where does he rank amongst the champs and contenders? Is he at his peak or past his best?
Wilder landed every big punch in his arsenal vs the French heavyweight, Dahaupas, and couldn't get him outta there. He had him hurt early in several rounds but simply couldn't finish the job, despite landing several full power right crosses and uppercut combinations.. I'm sure he's more powerful since then, but one has to wonder, can Ortiz take a punch better than Dahaupas? If they're near the same level of punch resistance, that's Wilder's ass.
Look at the size of Ortiz's head/neck and overall thickness of his body and that will answer you question. Wilder's long thin neck ain't going to stabilize his head. Wilder's chin is also naturally shaped outwards.
Wiki has this on his amateur career:
Don't know where you'd find the rounds boxed, but it would stand to reason he has far more amateur experience than Wilder:
The other way of looking at is that he's faced a lot more punishment over the years. I wonder if he's physically capable of living with Wilder's speed and stamina over 12 rounds.
Wilder landed every big punch in his arsenal vs the French heavyweight, Dahaupas, and couldn't get him outta there. He had him hurt early in several rounds but simply couldn't finish the job, despite landing several full power right crosses and uppercut combinations.. I'm sure he's more powerful since then, but one has to wonder, can Ortiz take a punch better than Dahaupas? If they're near the same level of punch resistance, that's Wilder's ass.
How many total amateur rounds boxed does he have vs Wilder's total amateur rounds boxed?
Wiki has this on his amateur career:
Amateur career
With a reported 343–19 amateur record, Ortiz was a long-time member of the Cuban National Team without succeeding at the top international level. In 2006 Ortiz won the Cuban National "Playa Giron" at 91 kg. He holds amateur wins over many notable Cuban fighters including Mike Perez. He lost five times to Odlanier Solís.
Cuban Championships medals
2002 – silver medal, 95 kg
2003 – bronze medal, 91+ kg
2005 – silver medal, 91 kg
2006 – gold medal, 91 kg
2008 – white ribbon, 91+ kg
International results
2005 – Panamerican Championships, Brazil – gold medal, 91 kg
2005 – World Cup (team competition), Russia – silver medal, 91 kg
2005 – World Championships, China – quarter-finalist, 91 kg
Don't know where you'd find the rounds boxed, but it would stand to reason he has far more amateur experience than Wilder:
Amateur career
Wilder started boxing in October 2005 when he entered Skyy Boxing Gym in Northport, Alabama and began training under Jay Deas. Wilder was 19 at that time.
By 2007 he upset the favorites to win both the National Golden Gloves and the US championships at 201 lb (91 kg).
At the Golden Gloves he defeated highly touted cadet world champion Isiah Thomas - a southpaw from Detroit - and David Thompson, of Brooklyn, N.Y in the finals. At the U.S. championship he defeated Quantis Graves and won the final 31-15 over southpaw James Zimmerman of San Jose, Calif.
At the Olympic trials he beat Graves twice more and won the Olympic trials in only 21 bouts. Early in 2008 he scored a career-best win by edging out World championships silver medalist and future Olympic champion Rakhim Chakhiyev in Russia. He qualified for the Olympics by beating Deivis Julio 6:5 Jorge Quinones from Ecuador on double countback and Brazilian Rafael Lima 6:5 at the qualifier.
Wilder then competed at heavyweight in the 2008 Olympics, defeating Abdelaziz Touilbini of Algeria and Mohamed Arjaoui of Morocco before losing to Clemente Russo of Italy in the semi-final to earn a bronze medal.
Wilder had an approximate amateur record of 30-5.
Olympic results
Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics:
Defeated Abdelaziz Toulbini (Algeria) 10:4
Defeated Mohamed Arjaoui (Morocco) 10+:10 (tiebreaker criteria)
Lost to Clemente Russo (Italy) 1:7
World Championship results
2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships:
Lost to Krzysztof Zimnoch (Poland) 20-23 (10/24/2007)
The other way of looking at is that he's faced a lot more punishment over the years. I wonder if he's physically capable of living with Wilder's speed and stamina over 12 rounds.
Not long to go before Ortiz and Wilder face off and I still see a broad range of opinions on just how good Ortiz is? It strikes me that on average he's rated higher by US based fans and I wonder whether this is because they've simply seen more of him or if he's been hyped by the networks over there? I look at his resume and in particular his last few fights and it doesn't seem impressive, but he clearly has skill and there's plenty of good analysts out there who rate him. This post is a couple of years old now but does highlight his technical skills:
https://www.badlefthook.com/2016/3/7/11174146/how-good-is-luis-ortiz
I'll be cheering for Wilder in any case due to Ortiz's PED history, but hopefully he can give DW a decent contest and we can learn a little more about how good he is under pressure.
he is 38 years old. You can go back to his early years as an amateur. The boxing federation monitors all participants on the International tour. Just like all other renown athletes from Cuba. Some "fans" here think it is very easy to change your age. You have to show your real birth certificate since you start in the program. Coaches from different part of the country make sure there is no cheating when competing against each other. The same here in the USA.
How does some guy with all red put out such a clear and honest post.Just goes to show ya these points and Ks don't mean sh ite.There was a guy on here 1-2 days ago swearing he was 48-9.
I think he's the most technically skilled HW, but the clock is tickin.
This sums up my thoughts on him. I really liked him after the Jennings fight but he seems to have declined a bit. he also throws his left had funny to me sometimes, almost like its not natural to him. Ive wondered if he wasnt actually right handed.
Haymon makes all the decisions. He controls his fighters careers with a vice like grip. He was the one who made Quillin drop his belt, he was the one the made Stevenson sign with Showtime and duck Kovalev, he was the one who sold Martin's belts to Hearn, in fact it was Haymon who suggested to Hearn that Joshua fight Martin for the IBF belt. Haymon fighters have no say on who they fight.
Wilder had to fight Povetkin because he was the mandatory, Haymon would of preferred it not happen. Fact is when Wilder won the title Povetkin offered them $10 mill for a voluntary and Finkel and Haymon turned it down, saying Wilder was still a baby in heavyweight terms, despite being a pro for over 6 years and having 32 fights.
I think Wilder and Haymon fighters in general get a bad rep for ducking because Haymon is so risk adverse. Wilder I think would of fought Povetkin and anyone else but Haymon wasn't willing to risk it and didn't want to pay for better opposition for Wilder.
Wilder did sign to fight Povetkin?And he they won purse bid that gave Wilder 5 million so they did not turn down ten.And Haymen don't make them do NOTHING this is not Don King and the 80s or Carbo in the 40-50s.He gave them (Quilen,Stevenson)better money to do something else.His idea was to take over boxing and it failed.He did not want those two to lose to non pbc fighters but that did not last long.
I my eyes, it's about speed, not size or power.
Speed beat power, EVERY TIME, the only thing that beats speed is timing.
Pov doesn't seem to have either, in my eyes.
I think sheer size offers its own challenges when you get to the heavyweights at least. Not just in reach advantage or additional power in the shots, like you say a well timed shot from a smaller guy can still get the job done, but those big frames that Wilder, Joshua possess are a big challenge for a smaller heavyweight like Povetkin.
he is 38 years old. You can go back to his early years as an amateur. The boxing federation monitors all participants on the International tour. Just like all other renown athletes from Cuba. Some "fans" here think it is very easy to change your age. You have to show your real birth certificate since you start in the program. Coaches from different part of the country make sure there is no cheating when competing against each other. The same here in the USA.
Funny thing is, even if it were easy to fake birth certificates and ages, Ortiz’s exploits have been documented for years. If he started competing at a documented age of say, 15, it would be glaringly obvious if he was actually much older than that. The notion that a 25 year old, or even a 20 year old, could pass themselves off as someone that young is pretty laughable. I get that some people think he’s older. But ten years older? Lmao
Will you post where you got such info as far as his age?Because I have NEVER heard anything near that 48-49??Now I have heard that its possible he MAY be couple years older.And you make him sound like a man on deathbed lol"horrendously slow"NOT TRUE and "man with his age and heath problems"The WBC cleared him medically.And if you cant take their word for that then why take their word on the fact that he EVEN HAS high blood pressure.Let me guess Joshua fan?he is 38 years old. You can go back to his early years as an amateur. The boxing federation monitors all participants on the International tour. Just like all other renown athletes from Cuba. Some "fans" here think it is very easy to change your age. You have to show your real birth certificate since you start in the program. Coaches from different part of the country make sure there is no cheating when competing against each other. The same here in the USA.
Dude-- You need help.
nah...im just ruining myths and the new year for gggroupies
take a look at page 1 where "dramashow"(i think we all know who he is a fan of) is ripping ortiz a new one even though he probably claimed wilder was scared when ortiz failed the test and the fight got called off....
if you take a step back you realize who the real people that need help are....but you are caught up in that web with them...that web of eating golovkin **** sandwiches
I’m concerned Luis is too old now. The fact that the Wilder team chose him at this point in his career makes me wonder. But Ortiz is probably still in the top three, along with Deontay and Joshua.
I would agree with boxrec's rating of number 4 behind Wilder. He is by far the best most dangerous opponent Wilder has ever fought. If Wilder easily beats him then Wilder is for real. If he has a hard time beating such an old boxer then he isn't the monster he is constantly telling us he is.
I rate him pretty high given the status of the HW division. He's 50-50 against Wilder and Joshua IMO, who are the top 2 guys but are severely flawed and beatable.
#1 Tyson Fury
#2 Anthony Joshua
#3 Tie - Deontay Wilder & Luis Ortiz
#5 Povetkin
#6 Joseph Parker
Ortiz has 1 punch KO power. Good boxing skills.
I hope Wilder's promotional team can pump this fight up big, because it is a true 50/50 fight among BIG punchers. You are crazy if you aren't excited about this fight.
I dunno man, the guy is 40 years old and can easily be outpaced. Fights too slow, not much urgency. I don't really rank him, Wilder could easily out hustle and catch Luis.