Preview and prediction: Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz
Deontay Wilder faces his toughest foe in Luis Ortiz. Although Ortiz is a skilled opponent, Wilder still holds the upper hand.
On Saturday, March 3, Deontay Wilder defends his WBC heavyweight title against Luis Ortiz. Ortiz represents the biggest challenge of Wilder’s career. All of the pressure to win lies on Wilder’s shoulders, but he should succeed in the end.
Wilder receives criticism for numerous reasons, but his boxing skills are a primary target. His detractors call him “Windmill” for his tendency to throw wild haymakers when he hurts an opponent. This critique is overblown.
He loses control of his technique only when he knows that he has his challenger hurt. Wilder knocks people out at a 97 percent rate for a reason. He’s much more skilled than boxing fans realize.
Wilder entered boxing late in life at the age of 20. His amateur career wasn’t extensive, but he proved to be an exceptionally fast learner. He won the National Golden Gloves Tournament and the US Amateur Championship in 2007. One year later, he won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. In order for a boxer to earn these accomplishments, they have to possess proficient boxing skills.
Ortiz’s boxing technique is more refined than Wilder’s. He was a member of the Cuban National Team and fought hundreds of amateur bouts. Although he has much more amateur experience, he never came close to Wilder’s amateur success.
Ortiz will be the aggressor against Wilder. Wilder, at 6-foot-7, is three inches taller than Ortiz. He has a reach of 83 inches, but Ortiz actually has a one-inch reach advantage. Ortiz will try to get inside of the taller fighter. He is the heavier fighter, so look for him to try and impose his mass.
Wilder’s weight hovers in the 220s. Ortiz weighed 242 pounds in his last fight against Daniel Martz. He bullied Martz around the ring and knocked him out in Round 2. He will try to use his weight advantage to push Wilder around the ring the same way.
By doing this, Ortiz might play into Wilder’s plan. Wilder doesn’t get enough credit for his counter-punching ability. Others have tried to be aggressive against Wilder, but they’ve all failed. Ortiz is a southpaw, and that gives him a stylistic advantage over Wilder. Artur Szpilka was his last southpaw opponent, and Szpilka found success with his combative style.
Szpilka is an awkward southpaw, and he won several rounds against Wilder. He pushed him back effectively until the ninth round. As he was moving in to attack, Wilder timed him with a vicious right cross that sent Szpilka spinning like a top. He was knocked out cold and had to be hospitalized.
Ortiz is much more skilled than Szpilka but less awkward. He has good hand speed for a heavyweight but heavy feet. Wilder is agile and should be able to evade Ortiz’s attacks. This fight is between Ortiz’s boxing intelligence and Wilder’s athleticism and power.
They have one significant opponent in common: Malik Scott. Wilder fought Scott in 2014 and easily knocked him out in one round.
Ortiz fought Scott in 2016 and won an ugly unanimous decision. To be fair, Scott retreated the entire fight and never tried to mount a substantial attack. What’s concerning is that Ortiz had a hard time cutting off Scott and landing clean punches. He also looked gassed in the later rounds.
Wilder is light years ahead of Scott in terms of boxing skill. He’s also a much better athlete. The later the fight goes, the more Wilder has an advantage over Ortiz. Based on recent footage, Ortiz looks well conditioned, but he’s heavier and older than Wilder. Wilder is the better conditioned of the two.
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Ortiz will win early rounds by pressing the action, but the second half of the bout should belong to Wilder. He needs to be patient and look for Ortiz to make a mistake and make him pay by landing destructive counter punches.
Ortiz has a solid chin and has never been hurt as a professional. Look for Wilder to win by unanimous decision, but don’t be surprised if he lands one of his signature knockout punches. Hopefully, this fight will live up to the hype.