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What if Luis Ortiz defeats Deontay Wilder?

By Jeremy Herriges

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 24: Luis Ortiz addresses the media during the 2018 Showtime Championship Boxing Event at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 24: Luis Ortiz addresses the media during the 2018 Showtime Championship Boxing Event at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Deontay Wilder is a healthy favorite to beat Luis Ortiz, but what happens to the heavyweight division if he loses?

Deontay Wilder is the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. He’s unbeaten and has a stellar knockout rating of 97 percent. He defends his title against 28-0, Luis Ortiz on Saturday, March 3. Ortiz is Wilder’s toughest test and poses a substantial threat. The heavyweight division would be in a state of flux if Ortiz is able to pull off the upset.

According to SportsBookReview.com, Wilder is the favorite at -300. That sounds great, but Ortiz has the best resume of any Wilder opponent to date.

They were supposed to fight in November of 2017, but Ortiz tested positive for banned diuretics commonly found in blood pressure medication one month prior. Ortiz had a prescription for blood pressure medications, but he failed to disclose this information before the test which was required.

He was suspended, and Wilder went on to destroy Ortiz’s replacement, Bermane Stiverne, by knockout in Round 1. Ortiz is a much bigger challenge than Stiverne.

Ortiz is a knockout puncher. He has a KO rating of 80 percent, and he’s never been hurt during his professional career. Ortiz is a southpaw, which might cause Wilder some problems. The last time Wilder fought a southpaw was in 2016 against Artur Szpilka. Wilder struggled a bit with Szpilka until the ninth round, when he caught Szpilka with a right cross that rendered him unconscious for several minutes.

Ortiz is a bigger and more refined boxer than Szpilka. He was a stellar amateur boxer and was a member of the famed Cuban National Boxing Team. Ortiz has the skills to potentially outbox Wilder.

If Ortiz wins against Wilder, there would probably be a rematch. Although it has not been disclosed if Wilder has a rematch clause in his contract with Ortiz, most champions have one included in their contract as a sort of insurance policy. It would be foolish if Wilder’s team didn’t require one in their favor. If Wilder wins, then no rematch would be guaranteed. Wilder’s manager, Jay Deas, told me earlier this month that they wouldn’t fight Ortiz in a rematch if they won, even if it were a close fight.

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Essentially, Ortiz needs to beat Wilder twice if he wants to move past him. That’s a tall order, but not impossible. If Ortiz wins, then the rematch would likely occur in fall or winter of 2018. Wilder likes to fight often. He wouldn’t want to be without the WBC title, which he has named Sophia, for long.

Ortiz winning this fight would kill Wilder’s dream of unifying the heavyweight title in 2018. Wilder hopes that he can beat Ortiz and challenge the winner of the Anthony Joshua/Joseph Parker bout later in 2018. A matchup between Wilder and Joshua is the heavyweight bout that boxing fans want. Ortiz would spoil their dreams in addition to Wilder’s.

Even if Ortiz is able to beat Wilder in back-to-back bouts, there’s no guarantee that Joshua would opt to unify the heavyweight title against Ortiz. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, doesn’t represent Ortiz. Fights between boxers with different promoters can prove difficult to secure.

We’ll see if Ortiz is able to change the course of the heavyweight division and disturb Wilder’s future plans.

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