Wilder v Ortiz

News of the fight everyone with an eye for world boxing was waiting for finally broke this autumn as a press conference was organised to announce the rematch of Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz for the WBC world heavyweight title.

The Wilder vs Ortiz location will be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with the Wilder vs Ortiz date penned in as 23 November. That’s a fitting venue for what promises to be an explosive night of action from the sport’s top and most exciting division. These two warriors first met in March 2018 when Wilder scored a late stoppage win, but it was close, so much so fans wanted to see the argument put to bed.

Why the Need for a Rematch?

When The Bronze Bomber landed his usual aggressive flurry of punches to stop Ortiz in Brooklyn last year it was enough to see referee David Fields leap in to save the beaten man from any more punishment. Ortiz had been dropped in the fifth round and tasted the canvas twice in round 10. So, with such a convincing and clear-cut result on paper, why the need for both men to go over it all again? Surely Wilder had made his point.

Many in the game would have much preferred to see the American take part in another rematch, one that attracted far more support than Wilder v Ortiz II. The fight in question is, of course, a decider against Tyson Fury. The Englishman, who is a former world champion and yet to taste defeat, pushed Wilder hard last December before missing out on the belts due to a draw decision. Many believed that was rather unfair as The Gypsy King looked to have done more than enough to deserve the nod from those sat at ringside. He was, however, knocked down twice – once in round nine and again in the final round – and that was enough to even up the scorecards.

Wilder v Fury II has been promised for 2020 but to ensure that happens we must see the American come through this test with Ortiz unscathed and with the world title still in his possession. The reason this fight is happening again is the fact Ortiz looked on course to pull off an upset on the scorecard and was competitive in the eyes of each of the three judges at the time of the stoppage. Had he stayed on his feet he may well have dethroned Wilder. Easier said than done against a man with a 95% KO average.

Where to Watch the Fight

This promises to be an entertaining rematch and a suitable starter for the main course between Wilder and Fury next year. Where can viewers watch the fight? It will be shown live on Sky Sports to UK fans and there are also a number of other avenues available. This could be time to check out a good boxing streaming site. A Wilder vs Ortiz stream is one good option and this is a Wilder vs Ortiz live stream that comes in HD quality with crystal clear sound, commentary and no frustrating buffering or loading times to spoil your enjoyment of the contest. Followers should prepare for a late one with the Wilder vs Ortiz time in UK expected to be around 04:00 GMT.

We also have the Wilder vs Ortiz press conference to look forward to and that should be every bit as entertaining as the fight. Wilder is a colourful character, to say the least, and famously injured a man on TV by knocking out a mascot. The fighter, astonishingly, claimed he didn’t know there was a person inside the suit. We’re not entirely sure how he thought the whole thing worked. Thankfully, the mascot uniform took the brunt of the punch but that’s not a luxury opponent Luis Ortiz will have when the first bell sounds in Las Vegas.

Deontay Wilder’s record going into this latest outing reads 41-0-1 with the same draw coming against Tyson Fury. He has knocked out 41 of the 42 men he has faced so far and, again, Fury is the spare, although he was dropped twice, the knockdown in the final round being particularly heavy. A 95 per cent knockout average tells us exactly what we can expect from Wilder on fight night. Ortiz has won 31 of 32 fights, knocking out 26 opponents. The spare was that 10^th round knockout defeat to Wilder.

Traders Expect More of the Same in Wilder vs Ortiz 2

What can the betting tell is about how this fight should go in Sin City? What are the Wilder vs Ortiz odds and how can you make them work in your favour? There are no real surprises when looking at the betting for this rematch and traders seem in a mad rush to keep on the right side of the champion. They can’t really be blamed for that, can they? His win over Ortiz and knockout power means it would be foolish for the money men to oppose The Bronze Bomber in this fight or in too many going forward.

There are bits and pieces of value around if you’re willing to work for them, however. The fight winner market has Deontay Wilder as a hot favourite and the American has been marked on the betting board as a red hot jolly. He’s available at no better than the 2/9 offered up by Coral at the time of writing. That’s tight, of course, but it can be put to good use in weekend accumulators, perhaps used alongside similar selections from the undercard. Luis Ortiz to finish the year as WBC champion is 4/1 when trusting your stake money to bet365. The draw is difficult to ignore at 33/1, Paddy Power being the standout on that one.

There are bigger prices to be had in the method of victory market. This carries a bit more of a risk than the straight fight winner betting, but the rewards are well worth pushing for. Pick who you expect to win the fight and call how they will get the job done, on points or knockout.

Has Ortiz Learned His Lesson from Last Time?

Deontay Wilder by KO/TKO is the obvious pick, given his record, but it’s worth waiting until nearer the time to place that bet as we expect the prices to improve between now and the first bell. It’s highly unlikely we’ll see Wilder outbox Ortiz and win on points, so there’s not much point thinking too much into that one. Luis Ortiz is a fantastic technical fighter and for as long as he’s upright and on his feet, he’ll be in with a chance of winning this fight.

How much would he have learned from that late KO loss to Wilder last time? If he can avoid another heavy-handed attack in the closing stages of the contest there’s every reason he will ask serious questions of the judges on the apron. If you think Ortiz is a good bet to pull off an upset and dethrone Wilder, it’s well worth backing him to win on points. Stopping the American is a big task and maybe a bridge too far.