By Tim Royner: John Fury is picking Deontay Wilder to make easy work of challenger Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz in their rematch on November 23. Fury sees the 40-year-old Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) as being past his best, and not the fighter he used to be 10 years ago.
John’s son Tyson Fury is scheduled to face Wilder in a rematch in February 2020. If Wilder loses to Ortiz, then that fight will go up in smoke.
The southpaw Cuban talent Ortiz has been looking very good lately, and some believe that he’s got a better chance in the rematch with Wilder than in their fight last year. What Ortiz has going for him is he knows the mistakes he made against Wilder last year.
WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) and Ortiz are fighting on PBC on Fox Sports Pay-Per-view on November 23 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fury: Wilder will BLOWOUT Ortiz
“He’ll beat Ortiz easy this time,” said John Fury to IFL TV in predicting an easy win for Wilder over ‘King Kong’ Ortiz in their rematch on November 23. “I don’t see it going like last time. If he beat him once, he’ll beat him again, again and again. I just think he’ll do it quicker this time. I’m expecting Wilder to blow him away in three or four rounds to be honest.
“He’s an aged man obviously. You know he’s not the man he used to be. 10 years ago, Ortiz would have been a problem for any heavyweight in the world. He’s been a good fighter Ortiz, but father time has caught up to him. He’d been doing tremendously well mixing it at this level at his age.
“I’ve got to commend Luis Ortiz. He’s a great fighter. Who knows? 10 years ago, he’d have been the man to beat. King Kong, he’s not named that or nothing. His heart is as big as King Kong as well. Best of luck to Luis Ortiz,” said Fury.
Anything is possible when you’re talking about a fighter like Ortiz. He’s no easy out, and he almost had Wilder in the 7th round last year. The fight could have been stopped after Wilder got hurt. The referee gave Wilder a break in letting him weather the storm.
If Ortiz was tired after that round, and he never got his second win. Wilder isn’t the type of fighter that you can afford to get tired against. There was a bit of controversy involved in the fight due to the ringside doctor delaying the start of the 8th round because he wanted to check on Wilder’s condition.
Joshua beats Ruiz – John Fury
“I’m expecting Joshua to get his belts back, especially where it’s at in Saudi Arabia,” said John Fury in predicting a win for Joshua against Ruiz on December 7th. “All he’s got to do, Joshua, is box and be sensible, use his size, use his reach, and keep the smaller man at bay with his jab if he can stick to the jab. He needs to use his strength, tie him up, take him into the later rounds, and it should be a Joshua win.
“I’m expecting Joshua to win, but Ruiz is a very, very good fighter. It wouldn’t surprise me if he repeated, but I’m expecting Joshua to do the business and bring the belts back. I hope he does for Tyson’s sake. It would be a great battle of Britain. I think it would be the biggest fight in history, so I’m hoping Joshua can do the business.
“If he can stick with what he can do with his size, and his jab, and shows Ruiz something different, it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s British, isn’t he? Anyone can have a bad night at the office, and I do believe Joshua was better than his last performance. Joshua is better than what we seen last time out, and I’m really convinced he’s going to get the belts back. If he doesn’t, I’ll be surprised. Eddie Hearn is really clever, and Barry Hearn is even cleverer. In Saudi Arabia, I think he can do this,” said John.
Joshua might not have much luck against Ruiz if his plan is to run, jab and hold all night long. Ruiz has been around the block plenty of times, and he’s obviously dealt with clinchers before.