By: Hans Themistode
WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is set to return to the ring on November 23rd, at the MGM Grand Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. His opponent will be a familiar face in Luis Ortiz. These two larger than life big men shared the ring one year ago in March at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York and produced a candidate for fight of the year.
During their first encounter Ortiz got off the deck in the fifth round to seriously hurt Wilder in the seventh. The WBC champ would bounce right back to go ahead and close the show in the tenth round. With Wilder getting hurt for the first time in his career in their first bout there is no question that Ortiz was by far his toughest fight to date. A sentiment that Wilder agrees with.
Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions Twitter Account
“When I fought Ortiz, not only did he have the pedigree, but also he had the classification of being the boogeyman of the division,” said Wilder about Ortiz. “I agree with those who say that Luis Ortiz was my toughest fight to date. No one wanted to fight him and they still don’t. In the rematch there’s more confidence and more motivation to do what I have to do.”
Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) has always been keen to the idea of facing Ortiz once again. Now that the rematch is taking place in less than two weeks, the reigning WBC champion is ecstatic to not only share the ring with his rival once more, but also to be defending his title once again and build upon his already growing legacy.
“It’s a great honor to say this is gonna be my 10th title defense,” said Wilder. “Considering many people never thought I would be a Champ at all. I’ve always fought for legacy. I want to be the best to ever do it. When people talk about boxing I want them to say Deontay wilder.”
Wilder’s dream of becoming the best fighter of all-time is a stretch and an outcome that just isn’t going to happen. However, he is one of, if not the hardest hitting Heavyweight that has ever graced the ring. He has placed every opponent he has faced on the canvas and plans to do so once again.
“When you fight Deontay Wilder, I take years off your life. He already got some of that sweet potato pie the first time and he’s coming back again for seconds and I’m ready to fill his mouth again. Nov. 23 is gonna be an amazing time for boxing and boxing fans. The first fight was a thrilling fight and kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Here we are again, the same game plan coming in for us. I can’t wait.”
The excitement of Wilder is evident but he isn’t the only one. The fans and the entire boxing world are eager to see these two great fighters share the ring one more time.
Thankfully for everyone involved, we won’t have to wait much longer.