Jared Anderson vs. Luis Ortiz: Desperation or Calculated Risk?

Image: Jared Anderson vs. Luis Ortiz: Desperation or Calculated Risk?
TOLEDO, OHIO - MAY 02: Jared Anderson poses after the press conference at Glass City Pavilion on May 02, 2023 in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
By Dan Ambrose - 04/15/2024 - Comments

Heavyweight Jared Anderson has accepted a call-out from 45-year-old (suspected to be even older) Luis Ortiz for his next contest after his boo-filled win over Ryad Merhy last Saturday night. Using Ortiz would be a troubling sign for Top Rank and Anderson.

If Top Rank makes this fight, it’s a signal that they’re not confident in Anderson fighting any of the younger heavyweights.

Why Luis Ortiz? Possible Motives for Top Rank

  • Lack of Faith in Jared: Putting Jared Anderson in with the washed-up Luis Ortiz doesn’t prove that he can cut it against top heavyweights
  • Penny-Punching: Not paying for a more expensive opponent suggests Top Rank isn’t willing to invest in Anderson’s development
  • Waiting it Out: Putting Anderson busy against soft opposition that won’t beat him could be a stalling tactic while Top Rank waits for the upper-echelon heavyweights Fury, Joshua, and Usyk to age into retirement. It’s a calculated move that could backfire, with Top Rank wasting their money on Anderson when still fails to capture a world title after those guys retire.
  • Extreme Protection: Using Luis Ortiz as an opponent is a red flag that Anderson’s promoters are afraid he’ll lose against a better opponent.

Luis Ortiz (34-3, 29 KOs) was beaten by Andy Ruiz two years ago. In his last fight, Ortiz defeated journeyman Franciso Cordero (41-19, 32 KOs) by a first round knockout last January.

A Lose-Lose Situation

Ortiz received a lot of attention for twice challenging former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and losing both fights by knockouts. That was years ago, and Ortiz is not the same fighter he was back then.

A victory for Anderson over Ortiz wouldn’t impress fans, as it would show how long Jared and Top Rank are willing to stoop. If the idea is to fool fans into thinking Jared Anderson is elite, this is going to be a fail.

Even worse, if Anderson struggles to win or is beaten by Ortiz, it would be an indictment of his talent or lack thereof. Fans already view Anderson as a hype job, but this could be confirmation.

Some fans believe the Cuban ‘King Kong’ Luis Ortiz is five years older than his chronological age of 45, believing he’s actually 50. Whether Ortiz is or isn’t, he certainly looks 50, which would reflect badly on Jared Anderson if he fights him.

He made it clear in a recent interview that he’s okay if he never fights for a world title. He said that if he can make his money without fighting for a world title, he’s okay with that.

It was thought by some that Top Rank would match Anderson against the winner of the Efe Ajagba vs. Guido Vianello fight, but this move shows that they’re ready to test Jared. In other words, he’s being protected.

With the way that Anderson got scared when Merhy nailed him with a hard left hook in the first round, Top Rank might be afraid to use Ajagba as his next opponent, and have him imitating Shakur Stevenson all night, being booed by fans.

Top Rank’s Image Crisis in the Making

I think Top Rank can’t afford to include Jared Anderson in the main events and have him continue to be booed due to his timid nature and self-preservation comments. It makes the company look bad not only in the eyes of the fans but also with ESPN.

When you put on bad shows like the Anderson vs. Merhy match-up, which should have never been made in the first place for a headliner, it makes the promotional company look bad with the network broadcaster—using Anderson for headlining potentially damages Top Rank’s reputation with fans and their broadcaster.

If you’re Bob Arum, you need to think about this before you put Jared Anderson back in with another headliner against a no-hoper, thinking you’re making going to make a star out of him.

It makes Anderson and Top Rank look bad in the eyes of fans and ESPN. I would never put Anderson in with an old gjuy or a no-name in a main event if I were his promoter. I’d be too worried about fouling things up.

What Fans Want vs. What Anderson’s Getting

Frank Sanchez
Bakhodir Jalolov
Andy Ruiz
Martin Bakole
Joe Joyce
Justis Huni
Dillian Whyte
Arslanbek Makhmudov

Is Anderson Worth It?

Right now, Anderson looks like he’s not worth keeping around due to his boring style of fighting, lack of power, fear of brain damage, and his problems outside of the ring.

If Bob Arum of Top Rank wants to keep Anderson around long enough to try and snatch one of the belts after Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Anthony Joshua retire, he may regret it because he’s not going to beat anyone good like Filp Hrgovic or even Daniel Dubois.

Anderson’s promoter Bob Arum posted earlier today on X, asking for a heavyweight to step up and face the 24-year-old Jared. Well, it didn’t long for the former two-title challenger Ortiz to agree to face him.

In response Ortiz’s call out, Jared Anderson said, “Sold.”