Deontay Wilder Retains the Belt, Knocks out Luis Ortiz in the 7th Round

Luis Ortiz was harassing Deontay Wilder Wilder for seven rounds. Until Bronze Bomber once again showed his ferocious punching power. One hit, that was all Wilder needed.

Way behind on the scorecards, without a proper strategy for the Cuban challenger who was instrumental up to that point, Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) went for his getaway card – right hand direct.

“Some people say I can’t fight on my back feet but that is my specialty. I had to go in and out I had to throw the right hand a couple of times and I finally found my measurement. I saw the shot and I took it,” he said during the interview in the ring.

Like so many times before, this punch pulled away the American from a nasty situation and saved his perfect record and the WBC belt.

Deontay Wilder with the absolutely insane KNOCK OUT in the 7th round to remain the Heavyweight Champion of the World. 🥊 👑

The power from Wilder on this knock out is out of control 😳pic.twitter.com/Di1qqo4nBN

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 24, 2019

Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) was coming after Wilder in the seventh round, and for the first time, the challenger opened up a little bit, and indicated that he might want to enter and exchange in the middle of the ring. He was better and had the initiative, but once the tempo slowed down, Wilder detonated a huge right hand on Ortiz’s forehead, sending him down to the canvas. The judge in the ring, Kenny Bayless, counted and decided to stop the fight, after seeing the Cuban’s shaken condition. Once again, King Kong missed a chance to become the world champion.

And to be honest, this one was perfect.

Both fighters came into this fight with a cautious approach. But it was obvious that Ortiz dictated the tempo right from the start. With a little bit more than a minute and a half inside the first, the fans at MGM Grand Arena made noise for the first time. Ortiz was trying to hurt Wilder, hit him once, but it didn’t present any problems for the champ.

The Cuban was going forward, and that trend continued in the second and the third round. Wilder was looking pale, and didn’t properly use his jab, leaving a lot of space for King Kong to come near and collect points, and win all three opening rounds.

We’ve seen some heat in the fourth when both fighters exchanged several punches. Wilder started roaring and hitting his chests after Ortiz’s left hook, suggesting his rival that he didn’t feel anything. Yet, the Bronze Bomber didn’t look good at all. His speed and moving around the ring were pretty bad, and as time went by, Ortiz was hitting him harder and harder, and more often.

But unfortunately for him, the same scenario as in the first fight happened again.

BTW, Deontay Wilder confirmed in his post-fight interview with Fox Sports that he will fight Tyson Fury again in February. Didn’t specify date or location.

— Creg Stephenson the First (@CregStephenson) November 24, 2019

Wilder now awaits Tyson Fury in the long-awaited rematch, which is set for February 2020. The previous bout ended with a draw, with both fighters having their chances to win.

“Next we have Tyson Fury the rematch next. It’s set to be done in February so we will see how that goes and then after that I am looking for a unification bout,” Wilder revealed his intentions.

He once again spoke very kind words about his challenger, with whom he has a good relationship even outside the ring.

“Ortiz is one of the best in the world, you have to give him that. That is why I gave him this second opportunity so he can feed his family. I see a lot of heavyweights in the audience, give this man an opportunity. He is one of the best.”