By Harry Hogg: Deontay Wilder defends his WBC heavyweight title against Luis Ortiz on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The much-anticipated bout looked to be dead in the water last year, after Ortiz was banned for testing positive for two banned substances, subsequently being replaced by Bermane Stiverne.
Wilder’s frustrations over the events of the past year were there for all to see in his last outing, poor Stiverne was on the receiving end of a brutal beat-down which resulted in the Canadian flat out on the canvas in the first round.
But in December it was announced that Wilder had agreed to give Ortiz another shot. Now we stand just a few days away from arguably the biggest heavyweight bout on US soil for many a year.
Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), who won the belt back in January 2015 in his first meeting with Stiverne, has been on a collision course with Anthony Joshua for over a year now ahead of a potential unification showdown later this year.
But first Wilder must come through what is, without doubt, his toughest test so far. The much-feared ‘King Kong’ Ortiz.
Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs), is widely recognized as the best heavyweight in the world outside of the champions.
The Cuban is expected to pose questions on behalf of boxing fans everywhere. Is Wilder the real deal?
The 32-year-old heavyweight king has ridiculous power in both hands, his tall gangling stance along with quick movement makes him difficult to control. But not everyone seems to be convinced the hype is justified.
It seems ludicrous to question the credentials of a world champion with almost 40 fights under his belt. But with Wilder, there are still lingering doubts.
His record looks incredible on paper, with all but one of his 39 victories coming by way of knockout. But in reality, the lack of any real world class opponent has meant that despite after almost ten years as a pro, he remains largely untested.
Wilder has been unlucky though, Alexander Povetkin pulled out of a fight in 2016 and of course Ortiz at the back end of last year, both as a result of failed drug tests.
The American has seen big fights slip through his figures through no fault of his own. And the very fact that Wilder has given Ortiz this fight when he didn’t have to, has to be applauded. Would Joshua or Parker have voluntarily faced the Cuban? It’s very doubtful.
But there has been some criticism of Wilder’s style and ability. There are flaws that against world class opposition, can be exploited.
Firstly Wilder can be found wanting defensively at times, in past fights, Molina, Szpilka, and Arreola all manage to land shots on the American with ease at times.
If Ortiz can push Wilder back and keep him on the back foot, it will be interesting to see how the champion deals with that because we have never seen the ‘Bomber’ in that situation.
But perhaps Wilders biggest weakness can be found when he is at his most dangerous. When he gets close and lets his hands go.
His wild, erratic flurries forward, where he carelessly swings with both arms. This leaves him terribly exposed at times. If Ortiz can find room to counter, Wilder will be in big trouble.
However, the intrigue in this fight is not just surrounding Wilder. Much interest will be in how Ortiz handles the step up in level.
The Cuban was a late turning pro at the age of 30.
Since then he has smashed his way through 28 opponents, but similar to Wilder, opponents which lacked any real quality. The most notable names on his record are former world title challengers Bryant Jennings and Tony Thompson, both of whom Ortiz dispatched with relative ease.
Ortiz experienced a frustrating and pretty much inactive 2017, this due to a ban as a result of a failed drug test. A ban which could not have come at a worse time for him, right before his first scheduled fight with Wilder. His only fight being a two-round demolition over journeyman Daniel Martz back in December.
This is perhaps the undefeated challengers biggest problem come Saturday night, he will be just a few weeks short of his 39th birthday.
Has this fight come too late for Ortiz?
His past few fights may well have suggested so. Putting his last outing aside, Ortiz looked poor against Malik Scott and David Allen respectively in his short stint with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
And with just two easy rounds in the whole of last year, Ortiz will undoubtedly carry some ring rust into this weekend. Wilder should sense the opportunity to jump on the Cuban early.
If he does, Ortiz might not even get the chance to find his rhythm.
But he does carry incredible power, and as mentioned earlier, Wilder has weaknesses for Ortiz to exploit.
However, Stylistically Ortiz just looks tailor-made for Wilder. A slow, static target that will stand in front of the champion.
The 38-year-old’s lack of movement will mean he will be there for Wilder to hit at will, and even if the Ortiz can take the barrage of attacks that come his way, it’s difficult to see him outworking Wilder to win on the cards.
Expect a more comfortable night for Wilder than many expect, I even have a sneaky suspicion that he could end it early on.
Twitter: @HazHogg