By Elisinio Castillo
He only knows that he is going to fight soon and that he will be involved in a final eliminator, but heavyweight contender Luis "King Kong" Ortiz now faces some uncertainty about his next opponent, because Dillian Whyte may have chosen another path.
The World Boxing Council had ordered Ortiz and Whyte to fight each other in a final eliminator - with the winner being in line for a world title shot at WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
But on Thursday, there was a purse bid held for a final IBF world title eliminator - which the sanctioning body ordered between Whyte and Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria.
The purse bid was won by a new promotional company, Epic Sports and Entertainment.
In accordance with the guidelines of the IBF, Pulev would receive 75 percent with $1,125,083, while Whyte (23-1, 17 KO) should be satisfied with 25 percent: $ 375,027.
Ortiz's manager, Jay Jimenez, has no idea who his boxer will face - and waits for a ruling from the WBC.
"We are waiting for a solution to this issue," added Jimenez to George Ebro. "For now, Luis is still preparing with his strength and conditioning coach. And when the opponent is finally in, he will adjust his training. I repeat, we want another opportunity to face the champion, that is our requirement.
"There is still a chance for Luis and Whyte to face each other. We are prepared for any variant. If it's Whyte, fine; and if it's someone else, fine. We only ask for one thing: that the fight is still an eliminator.''
Ortiz (28-1, 24 KO) challenged Wilder on March 3rd at the Barclays Center in New York City.
He had Wilder in serious trouble during the seventh round, but the champion recovered and knocked out Ortiz in the tenth round - after dropping the Cuban puncher two times before the referee waved off the bout.