Date: 24/11/2019
Venue: MGM Grand
TV: Sky Sports Action
Deontay Wilder’s first clash with Luis Ortiz was a fiery encounter and sparks are again expected to fly during their Las Vegas rematch.
Ortiz was put down in the fifth and Wilder was saved by the bell after getting caught in the eighth, before the Bronze Bomber stormed to a 10th-round stoppage.
That Brooklyn bout in March 2018 wasn’t always pretty to watch, but there were certainly enough flashpoints to make fight fans crave a second showdown.
The American is again fancied to come out on top, though, and 47/25 for him to win in rounds 7-12 is our initial Wilder vs Ortiz prediction.
Contrasting styles made for an intriguing match-up, with the stockier and more compact Ortiz stalking the WBC heavyweight champion from the middle of the ring.
However, Wilder’s greater reach and superior hand speed allowed him to pick off the Cuban with a number of big, clean shots and his power eventually proved decisive.
That was Wilder’s seventh defence of his title and he has since gone on to draw with Tyson Fury, before enjoying a facile first-round victory over Dominic Breazeale.
The champion remains incredibly raw at times, but it is impossible to ignore his heavy hitting, which has led to all but one of his 41 wins ending inside the distance.
“I am the best in the world and I prove it each time I go in the ring,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m not worried about making mistakes and, if I do, rest assured I will correct it as the fight goes on.”
Wilder: ‘I am the hardest hitter in boxing history’
That defeat to Wilder was the only blemish on Ortiz’s 32-fight record and 26 of his 31 wins have come via knockout, so the danger is always there, even if he is now getting on at the age of 40.
The challenger has remained active with three straight victories since taking a battering late on in Brooklyn, but Wilder is confident of confirming his superiority.
“He’s one of the best in the world,” said Wilder. “Nobody has given Ortiz an opportunity, even after I defeated him.
“Normally, after you knock somebody out, other guys are willing to fight him because they have seen weakness, chinks in the armour.
“They didn’t want to fight Ortiz before, they don’t want to fight him now.
“He hit me with everything but the kitchen sink – shots that usually put people down, but I’m a different beast.
“The seventh round was an amazing time for me because it allowed me to see what I’m made of. Under the conditions, I was proud of myself for handling it. He had 40 seconds and he couldn’t do it.”
And the champion ominously warned: “This is what it’s all about; the heavyweight division, the big boys, the heavy hitters.
“No matter how hard a person has worked, one blow can end it all – and we already know I am the hardest hitter in boxing history.”
That last statement is questionable, but we are backing the 34-year-old American to oblige inside the distance again and 9/1 for an eighth-round stoppage gets the nod this time in our Wilder vs Ortiz betting tips.
There are plenty of other markets in bwin’s Wilder vs Ortiz odds and 333/100 for the favourite to oblige between rounds 7-9 is another tempting option.
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