By Jake Donovan
One day after cautioning his upcoming opponent to not plan too far ahead, Luis Ortiz has decided to double down on that promise in light of recent events.
The heavyweight division—and the boxing world—was thrown for a loop following Andy Ruiz’s stunning 7th round knockout upset of previously unbeaten Anthony Joshua to collect three major titles Saturday evening at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.
Little pre-fight news items offered any suggestion of Ruiz pulling off the upset. Most media members more concerned with Joshua’s thoughts on whenever a fight with Deontay Wilder would occur.
It certainly wasn’t going to happen next, as Wilder spent Joshua’s fight week trolling the British heavyweight by revealing his own future plans extending him all the way through early 2020. First up for the unbeaten knockout artist is a rematch with Ortiz, with the two due to collide in late September atop a Showtime Pay-Per-View event.
“Right now, I’m looking forward to our rematch—and nothing else,” Ortiz (31-1, 26KOs) told BoxingScene.com. “We saw what happened (on Saturday) what can happen when you don’t remain fully focused on what's right in front of you. Andy Ruiz came to Madison Square Garden ready to shock the world, and Anthony Joshua just wasn’t ready to be pushed like that.”
Ortiz pushed Wilder to the limit in their first fight last March, with Wilder managing to avoid hitting the deck but also in severe trouble towards the end of round seven. He managed to survive the major scare, rallying late to drop and eventually stop Ortiz in the 10th round of their memorable thriller at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Wilder went on to face unbeaten Tyson Fury—with whom he drew last December—and mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale, scoring a scintillating 1st round knockout in their Showtime headliner this past May.
Meanwhile, Ortiz has put together a three-fight win streak since suffering the lone defeat of his career. He was in line to face Joshua as a replacement for Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller, who failed three separate drug tests in March in being denied a boxing license by the New York State Athletic Commission and thus disqualifying him from participating.
The opportunity instead went to Ruiz after Ortiz was among several heavyweight candidates to turn down what represented a life-changing payday. The motivation by the Cuban southpaw’s decision stemmed in part from the idea of a Wilder rematch, with those plans finalized and revealed in late May.
Wilder also revealed on Friday his intentions to proceed with a Fury rematch—provided the two keep winning—for early 2020.
Meanwhile, Ortiz has only revealed plans for one fight—his next one with Wilder.
“I look forward to the rematch, it’s all I’ve thought about since my last fight and have no reason to think about any other fight,” insists Ortiz. “I know it will be an all out battle, myself wanting to become heavyweight champion at any cost, and Deontay not wanting to lose his heavyweight title at any cost. To think about any other fight would be foolish.
“Anthony Joshua said all the right things, but was already prepared to sit down with Deontay after this fight, not even envisioning what he would happen if he lost—which he did. Deontay better start thinking the right way—take that Fury fight off the schedule; your next fight is with me. It’s all I’m thinking about and I hoped you learned your lesson (from Saturday), don't look past me because I’m coming to finish what I started last year.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox