By Jeff Aranow: Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz (30-1, 26 KOs) says Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) is going to look like he’s scared if he doesn’t take the fight with him after telling the media that he’ll look in his direction for his next match after his defense against Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller if he can’t get a mega-fight with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury.
The U.S boxing fans would have rather have seen Joshua take a fight with the talented 39-year-old Ortiz in his next fight on June 1 rather than facing the 315 pound Jarrell Miller. That match-up makes Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn look like they’re not willing to take on the best. However, Hearn might not realize that Miller isn’t viewed as highly by the U.S boxing as Ortiz, who gave Wilder the fight of his life last year
Ortiz says he wants Joshua or Wilder after he takes care of Christian Hammer (24-5, 15 KOs) this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“He’s going to look like a p***y if he doesn’t,” Ortiz said to the boxing media.
The chances of Joshua getting a fight against Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) later this year is remote at best. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn expects Top Rank to match Fury up with either Kubrat Pulev or Oscar Rivas in his next fight, and after that they’ll look to make the rematch with Deontay Wilder. That means that Wilder and Fury are NOT going to be available to fight Joshua in 2019. If Joshua is serious about wanting to fight Ortiz, then that match will come after his next title defense against Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York. That’s Joshua’s debut fight in the United States. To continue building momentum to becoming a big name in the U.S, Joshua will need a dangerous fighter like ‘King Jong’ Ortiz to increase his popularity.
“I establish myself here [in United States]. We then look straight at Luis Ortiz, if Wilder and Fury isn’t ready, because my strategy was to fight Wilder in April, but he wasn’t interested,” Joshua said to the Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM. “I can look straight at Luis Ortiz. That’s the next guy that I feel like, once I’ve broken the market in the USA, that’s a good fighter to fight,” Joshua said.
There’s a very good chance that Joshua will wind up having to prove that he was on the level with his comments about wanting to fight Ortiz after the Miller fight, since it doesn’t look at all promising that he’s going to get Wilder or Fury to face him this year. If Joshua is going to face either of those two popular heavyweights, it won’t be until 2020.
