Heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz hopes to return next month on FOX, on November 7 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) has been out of the ring since November 2019, when he was knocked out in his rematch with then WBC world champion Deontay Wilder.
Ortiz took just a couple of weeks off before returning to the gym and was about to tighten engines when in March he was ordered to stop everything and distance himself socially due to the coronavirus.
Since he couldn't go to the gym in Miami, Ortiz built one in his house. He sought the help of a carpenter and raised a ring, as well as assembling other items.
"I didn't even stop training at the worst time of the pandemic, so I feel great. I always put a lot of interest in my preparation. I won't lie to you. I spent [some months] in a lot of fear, because you know I have a sick girl with a skin disorder that thank God entered a clinic for a new treatment. I had to be very smart to balance workouts and health care," Ortiz told George Ebro.
"This is my job and this is how my family eats. Without work you can't live, but in my particular case, boxing is what I love, my passion and I can't wait to put my gloves back on. I don't mind hitting if there's boxing. The worst part is that there's nothing. Imagine, my future is in training, in the hard work of every day. The rest is taken care of by my manager Jay Jiménez with Luis DeCubas Jr. and Al Haymon. I'm ready for whatever comes. You know I don't care about names or levels. I face whoever wants to face me.
"[I feel] as if I were 35. I am in optimal condition and I think that until this moment of pause in my career, in boxing, it has come to me wonderfully. I've rejuvenated myself and my body has healed any problems. All of that gives me enthusiasm for what might come right away.
"First I want to get out of this fight [in November] with a knockout and expect better things in 2021. I tell those who come up to find their merit and they have to go through a bridge and that is me. To the established I say that I'm still here, still active and that they must take me into account."