By: Hans Themistode
Luis Ortiz had the WBC Heavyweight title won.
In his rematch against Deontay Wilder this past Saturday night, he was out boxing the long reigning champion. At no point was it close, as Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) seemed to have no answer at all. Fans of the champion seemed to grow worried as he just could figure out a way to let his hands go.
When the seventh round came rolling along, there was good reason to believe that Wilder hadn’t won a single round. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Wilder landed his signature right hand and down went Ortiz in heap.
Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions Twitter Account
The referee counted him out as he staggered to his feet.
Ortiz (31-2, 26 KOs) might be 40 years of age but he looked impressive against Wilder until that right hand landed right on the button. He might not be able to beat Wilder, but that doesn’t mean he can’t defeat anyone else.
He should have a long line of opponents waiting for his next ring appearance. Let’s breakdown his best options.
Adam Kownacki
The undefeated Adam Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) is looking to really burst on to the Heavyweight scene. He has been impressive in his short career thus far, but he looks primed and ready for a big opportunity.
Luis Ortiz on the other hand, has had his shot at the big time. Unfortunately for him, he has come up short on both occasions. But that doesn’t mean he should slip down to the bottom of the rankings. If Ortiz wants to place himself on the short list for a third fight with Wilder, then a win against Kownacki would be a huge statement.
Dominic Breazeale
Why not place the two most recent Deontay Wilder victims against one another? Dominic Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs) was last seen on his back courtesy of a right hand from Wilder. Ortiz, of course, was last seen doing the same thing.
The Heavyweight division isn’t particularly deep, so both men could find themselves fighting for a world title once again in the near future. Both Ortiz and Breazeale hit extremely hard and aren’t afraid to bang it out. This might not be worthy of a title eliminator, but it would be a very fan friendly contest.
Chris Arreola
It wasn’t very long ago where Chris Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) was viewed as over the hill. A draw against the unheralded Fred Kassi to go along with a no contest against Travis Kauffman, coupled with a stoppage loss against Deontay Wilder, spelled the end for Arreola.
Following that loss to Wilder however, he managed to win two fights in a row and gave the undefeated Adam Kownacki the toughest fight of his life. Proving that he has plenty left in the tank. Chris Arreola vs Luis Ortiz has fight of the year candidate written all over it.
