Deontay Wilder is not a boxer. Luis Ortiz is. Both men have power. But Deontay Wilder stopped Luis Ortiz thanks to said power Saturday night on Showtime Saturday in a roller coaster of a heavyweight fight.
The superior boxer won almost every round Saturday through 10, that being Ortiz, the Cuban amateur great. Even a 5th round knockdown from Wilder couldn’t stop Ortiz’s control through near to the end. Except…
Power is the equalizer. The scorecards that had Wilder up pre-stoppage are B.S. Had Wilder won a decision, we’d be talking about a fix. Instead, Wilder legitimately hurt and finished Ortiz in the 10th, and if you think he didn’t, the burden of proof on you to show someone faked it.
The combination, concluded by an uppercut, was nasty. Ortiz would have to be a pretty good actor to fake his reaction.
Let’s be blunt: Wilder is still a rudimentary figure in boxing. His power, though, cannot be questioned, in this writer’s opinion. Ortiz would probably not question it, either.
This sets up the best, or one of the best, fights in boxing with Wilder vs Anthony Joshua. The winner is the real heavyweight champion, almost certainly. It’s hard to imagine Wilder winning, but it’s fun to think about both men trying to win it.
On the undercard, Jose Uzcategui stopped a faded Andre Dirrell in a super middleweight rematch. Dirrell had little of the speed and power he once showed, while Uzcategui was tricky, faster, better on defense and superior on offense to win via Dirrell’s corner retiring by the 7th round. Uzcategui is a factor now, for sure.
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