Wilder vs Ortiz: Your Boxing Tips

The First Fight

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz first met back in 2018, with Wilder installed as a fairly heavy betting favorite of approximately 1.25. Although the bout took on a slower pace than fight fans are accustomed to from Wilder’s fights, everything looked according to plan through the 5th round when Wilder showcased some of his trademark power, dropping Ortiz in the final seconds of the frame.

However, the tide shifted in 7th round, unquestionably the most difficult round of Deontay Wilder’s career, when Ortiz managed to stun Wilder with a monstrous right hook and nearly closed the show before the bell rang to end the round. It did not take long for Wilder to recover from the onslaught and return to his winning ways though, as he ultimately rang victorious in the 10th round with a tired and dejected Ortiz falling victim to Deontay’s vicious punching power.

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Since their exciting first meeting, both Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz have been successful, with Ortiz notching three straight wins against unnoteworthy competition and Wilder going 1-0-1, most notably holding onto his title in yet another thrilling affair, going 12 rounds – and drawing – with popular former champion Tyson Fury.

With both Ortiz and Wilder exhausting much of the competition around them, the time has finally come for the two to meet again and put to a final punctuation on their rivalry. This time around, Wilder is installed as an even steeper betting favorite, resting at around $1.20, with Ortiz currently offering generous underdog odds of $5.70.

While it is difficult not to be impressed with the accomplishments of Luis Ortiz, there is no question that Deontay Wilder has continued to surge through the heavyweight division, defending his WBC belt a staggering nine times, besting practically every notable opponent in the division aside from the elusive Anthony Joshua. At this point in their respective careers, I believe we are seeing the best version of Deontay Wilder that has ever existed, with improved technical prowess, both offensively and defensively, in addition to a slight tempering, and refinement, of the reckless aggression that helped make Wilder a star.

Meanwhile, the heavy-handed Cuban Ortiz looked less-than-stellar in his most recent outing, as Christian Hammer took him the full 10 round distance. At the advanced age of 40, it remains a perpetual question how much sand is left in Luis Ortiz’s hourglass, as he has continued to look slower, less precise, and downright worse defensively in his outings following his first bout with Deontay Wilder.

conclusion

There is an immense amount of respect to be given to both men in this showcase, but Wilder continues to ride an upswing in his already historic career, while the best of Luis Ortiz may have already come to pass. It is difficult for me to envision that Ortiz will ever find a better opportunity to wrest the WBC heavyweight title away from Deontay Wilder than he had before him in the 7th round of his initial meeting with Wilder nearly two years ago.

While I expect both men, in typical fashion, to be looking to prove a point and close the show early, there is still value in Deontay Wilder to win by finish. Even at the short odds of $1.40. Not only has he proven capable of finishing the durable Luis Ortiz, I anticipate an even more dominant showing from the American this time around as he puts an emphatic end to his rivalry with the Cuban title challenger.