By Elisinio Castillo
Heavyweight contender Luis 'King Kong' Ortiz is ready and willing to face any and all comers.
Ortiz is currently full training, in preparation for a Showtime televised fight on March 2 in Brooklyn with Christian Hammer, an evening headlined by his compatriot Erislandy Lara in a showdown with undefeated Brian Castano.
"Nobody at heavyweight mentions the name of 'King Kong.' I do not know what's going on, I feel like I'm among the best heavyweights in the world and they do not give me that recognition," Ortiz said to Univision.
This Saturday night, Olympic silver medal winner Joe Joyce will face former heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne in London.
Joyce had previously challenged Ortiz to a fight after winning one of his recent bouts - but when the Cuban puncher sought him out to finalize the fight, he says the Briton "stuck his tail between his legs."
"He (Joyce) said my name, but when we were close to the dressing room, we called him out and asked him if he wanted to fight, but he stuck his tail between his legs," says Ortiz.
"(Joyce) said some time ago that he offered me the fight, but that I had asked for a lot of money, and at no time did an offer arrive into the hands of my manager."
Ortiz wants to position himself for a rematch with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Back in March 2018, Ortiz had Wilder in serious trouble in the seventh round, but the champion recovered and then knocked Ortiz out in round ten.
As for the number of fights he plans to make this year, Ortiz joked that he could fight every two weeks.
"I can fight one week on and one week off, I'm ready," Ortiz said.
"To all the heavyweights, I'm 'King Kong' and I want to fight with the best in the world, if you're not on the list to fight the best, retire or wait for me to leave," Ortiz said.