By Jeff Aranow: WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is upset with challenger Luis Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs) after the undefeated challenger tested positive for 2 banned substances. Wilder is so angry about Ortiz’s positive drug test that he’s considering retiring from boxing.
That would be a real surprise for Wilder to step away before he got the chance to fight IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a unification fight. Wilder could make millions fighting Joshua next year if he sticks around boxing long enough to face the British heavyweight. Retiring now would take a lot of courage for Wilder, given that he would lose out on a career high payday against the 6’5” Joshua.
The 2 giant heavyweights were supposed to be meeting up on November 4 in a high profile fight on Showtime at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As of now, the fight is all but off, and Wilder is not happy about it.
This was a fight that the 31-year-old Wilder wanted. He wanted to prove himself against one of the best heavyweights in the division in 38-year-old Ortiz, who was a standout amateur fighter during his days competing in Cuba. Ortiz’s promoter Lou Dibella isn’t sure what will happen with the November 4th card or if the Wilder-Ortiz fight is even going to be canceled. The drugs that Ortiz tested positive for, chlorothaizide and hydrochlorothiazide, are used to treat high blood pressure. If Ortiz has a prescription for the medications from a doctor, then there’s a chance the fight could still take place. The drugs could also be used as masking agents to cover performance enhancing drugs.
This is the third time Wilder has had a fight erased during his time as the WBC champion because of his opponents testing positive for banned drugs. You can understand Wilder’s frustration. He feels he’s lost money with training for fights that didn’t take place, and he’s valuable time.
Wilder is extremely upset at Ortiz testing positive, being that he had warned him ahead of time to keep it clean. Ortiz had tested positive for a banned performance enhancing drug 3 years ago in 2014.
Here’s what Wilder had to say to Ortiz on his Instagram site:
“DIDN’T I TELL YOU DON’T [expletive] THIS UP @kingkongboxing ⁉️ SMDH. I’m so sick of you guys [expletive] with me, [expletive] up this brave sport with this BS. If you was that scared then you should have hidden under a damn rock until the coast was clear of me! You’s want to be hard core fighters that cheat are straight up [bleep], just keep [expletive] up this sport. I just can’t believe this is happening to me again‼️ first it was POVETKIN dirty [expletive] then Andrzej Wawrzyk clumsy [expletive] AND NOW ORTIZ dumb [expletive] but yet steadily beating his damn chest like he’s asking for a bunch of bananas 🍌 ape [expletive] is what you are,” said Wilder.
Wilder is the one that went to bat to make the fight with Ortiz happen in place of his mandatory defense against Stiverne. That fight can still take place on November 4, but it would mean that Wilder would change his training camp to prepare for the shorter Stiverne. His fighting style is entirely different from the 6’4” southpaw Ortiz. Wilder already beat Stiverne by a 12 round unanimous decision in 2015 in a one-sided fight. Stiverne was dangerous the entire time he was in there. Wilder was used movement, pot shots and jabs to pound out a decision. However, he broke his right hand during the fight, and he wasn’t 100 percent.
“I apologize to all the fans but I just can’t deal with this [expletive] anymore,” said an angry Wilder. “Over this last past year and a half I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars dealing with straight scared [expletive] grown men and I don’t think I can take much more I’m almost at my breaking point now. I had a stress break down last night and it wasn’t healthy for me. I couldn’t hold any of my emotions back and as men we don’t want to cry but it all just came out at once, while big [expletive] vein bursting out my head.,” said Wilder.
You can tell how strongly Wilder wanted the Ortiz fight by the wording of his post. Wilder needs to roll with the punches though, as these types of things happen in boxing. It’s just that it’s happened so frequently to Wilder in the 2 short years that he’s been the WBC champion. You can call it bad luck or whatever. Wilder is learning a lot about the sport in a short period of time. Wilder wants to unify the division by beating IBF/WBA champion Anthony Joshua and WBO belt holder Joseph Parker.
With Wilder’s potential opponents dropping out of his fights like flies due to positive drug tests, it’s been hard for him to stay as active as he would like. In the last 18 months, Wilder’s opponents have been dropping out like flies with positive drug tests. Wilder has had 2 fights that have failed to take place due to his opponents testing positive for drug tests. Last year, Wilder was set to defend his WBC title against his mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin in May. The fight was canceled less than 2 weeks before the contest after Povetkin tested positive for the banned drug meldonium. Last February, Wilder was set to face Andrzej Wawrzyk, but he tested positive as well in a test done by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency [VADA]. Wilder replaced Wawrzyk with Gerald Washington, who he defeated by a 5th round TKO last February.
”@wbcmoro if possible I still want this ape [expletive] head on a platter,” said Wilder about Ortiz in making fun of his nickname ‘King Kong.’ ”I’m well acknowledgeable that’s Ortiz is taking something but I accept all responsibility that may occur in the actions of this fight. I’m really considering walking away from this sport I love so much. Like I always say ‘I’m the realist Champ in the business’ and everything I’ve said has been true thus far so if this is it just know I’ve tried my damnedest to prove I am the best in the WORLD but other cowards have failed us into proving it I can only fight what’s in front of me and the so called best just don’t want to man up and face me. Much love to all my supporters, Hey we tried right⁉️ peace and blessings to you all and may we see each other again one day in paradise fishing. #BOMBZQUAD #TheBaddestManOnThePlanet #TheMostFearedChampionInTheBusiness,” said Wilder.
Wilder sounds really upset. The way that his post reads, it’s as if he’s saying farewell to his boxing fans. It’s not that of a big deal. Wilder can replace Ortiz with a suitable contender. There’s already one offer on the table for #3 WBC contender Dillian Whyte to step in and replace Ortiz. Whyte might be an even better choice for Wilder to face, as a fight between those 2 would play out in a big way in the UK with the fans. If Wilder wants to make as much money as possible for the Joshua fight next year, then facing Whyte would help his cause.
Whyte wants to fight on October 28 on the undercard of Joshua’s title defense against Kubrat Pulev in Cardiff, Wales. If Wilder can sign Whyte as his challenger for the November 4th card, it would be a win-win situation for him. It would make the Joshua huge if he beats Whyte and looks good doing so. There would be risk involved for Wilder, of course. If he loses to Whyte, he would ruin his chances of fighting Joshua. If Wilder beats Whyte and looks unimpressive, that would hurt him as well. The only way the fight works in Wilder’s favor is if he destroys Whyte with a highlight reel knockout the way he stopped Artur Szpilka and Malik Scott. Wilder is capable of scoring knockouts like that when he connects cleanly with his shots. Wilder can also look shaky at times the way he did in the early going against Eric Molina, Gerald Washington and Johann Duhaupas.