Luis Ortiz on how Anthony Joshua played a part in his inability to KO Deontay Wilder in the seventh

[Ruthless-RKO]

Former world heavyweight title challenger Luis Ortiz has been left wondering what might have been having lost out to WBC champion Deontay Wilder back in March.

As the Cuban pushes for a second opportunity against Wilder, 'King Kong' has revealed he wrongly felt he had the fight won when putting 'The Bronze Bomber' in a world of hurt during the mid-rounds.

Ortiz had an awesome vision as Wilder stumbled around the ring, picturing his opponent floored and out of it, before current king Anthony Joshua also flat on his back in his imaginary next contest.

Seemingly being one step away from having the chance to become undisputed against Joshua was too much for Ortiz to process and ultimately meant the beginning of the end of his slugfest with Wilder.

This meant Ortiz took his eye off the ball and let Wilder in for that split second he needed to regain a foothold and eventually take over the encounter.

As the veteran explained himself to Lem Satterfield of Premier Boxing Champions, it was quite a spiritual moment for Ortiz at the Barclays Center.

"Round seven was definitely an emotional round. My biggest mistake was that, once I hurt him with the shot, I was already visualizing myself as the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, and as the undisputed champion after knocking out Anthony Joshua. Rookie mistakes," Ortiz said.

"All of that flashed before my eyes, and then I obviously punched myself out. But even as I was punching, there are some things that I would have done differently with my shot selection.

"Slowing down my punches, shortening them up, being more precise and not so much throwing the flurry of punches I was using."

Asked by Satterfield whether he believed Wilder was inadvertently given extra recovery time while ringside doctors examined him in his corner before the eighth round, Ortiz replied: "That was absolutely an advantage for Wilder, but also for me as well, because that allowed me time to recover and to rejuvenate after having expended so much energy going for the knockout in the seventh.

"So if it’s good for the goose, then it’s good for the gander, and I’ve never mentioned, nor will I, that the referee gave Wilder a break at that point."

On how the fight ended in the tenth, Ortiz concluded: "Wilder did not knock me out, even though he hit me with his best shots.

"I wasn’t unconscious and they didn’t take me out on a stretcher. It’s not my mentality to be rescued or saved in that way. It was purely a fatigue stoppage. I couldn’t continue because I was dead tired, so I’m not satisfied.

"The more conditioned, and not the better man, won, because Wilder had no answer for me other than the one right hand in the fifth and capitalizing on my fatigue in the 10th. I would have preferred a more conclusive finish, me being knocked out with birdies fluttering around my head.

"I would rather have Wilder knock my block off and have me knocked out cold. The better man did not win that night in the sense that I got tired. With a rematch opportunity, I can improve conditioning and tweak certain things, here and there, and Wilder will not stand a chance."

[Best Coast]

Sounds like Conor McGregor complaining about his stoppage by Mayweather because he was "exhausted but not hurt."

But McGregor didnt get knocked down twice in the 10th round like Ortiz did.

[jamamb]

b!tch things arent done till there done

[Ilya Muromets]

Asked by Satterfield whether he believed Wilder was inadvertently given extra recovery time while ringside doctors examined him in his corner before the eighth round, Ortiz replied: "That was absolutely an advantage for Wilder, but also for me as well, because that allowed me time to recover and to rejuvenate after having expended so much energy going for the knockout in the seventh.

No not "before" the 8th round, after the 8th round had already started! And that "for me as well" comment is absurd. When you have your opponent on queer street, as Ortiz did Wilder at that point, you don't worry about recovery time, you just try to finish him off! "Took his eye off the ball" and let Wilder escape? No Ortiz didn't do that, the ref and ring doctor did that.

[ldlamb]

It’s funny...but mostly sad...how you are waaaaaaay more upset about an extra ten seconds than Ortiz is......even he knows that wasn’t the difference.

[Ilya Muromets]

It’s funny...but mostly sad...how you are waaaaaaay more upset about an extra ten seconds than Ortiz is......even he knows that wasn’t the difference.

The only thing sad is that boxing is so corrupt that Ortiz' advisors have told him not to pursue this legally and show a jury the video of round eight - if they can even find a copy that hasn't been destroyed - because if they do he will be blackballed.

[jamamb]

lol great, another wilder-ortiz thread with x2x and ldlamb. maybe bitplayer soon too?

[Ilya Muromets]

lol great, another wilder-ortiz thread with x2x and ldlamb. maybe bitplayer soon too?

Idlamb/Jamamb. They sound the same to me, like two lambs. How do you tell them apart?

[Mexi-Box]

Ridiculous that he even punched himself out considering the fight wasn't at a high pace. Guy needs a lot of work on his conditioning. He's too big for his frame, but he's not changing that at all it seems.

[man]

well, you could have guessed earlier that
"better condition" would increase your chances
and a bout for the WBC heavy weight belt is a
bad place for a "rookie mistake".

if wilder had the honour of carl froch he would
make the rematch tomorrow. but of course he
does not and the TKO victory totally justifies him
moving on.

[funso banjo baby]

Ortiz lost because he wasnt good enough....not because of mystical visions.

[TooMuch]

Ortiz lost because he wasnt good enough....

Specifically, fat and old.

[Ilya Muromets]

Stupid fans (round eight was just a funny joke). Lying media ("*before* round eight"). Subservient boxers (George Foreman: "Boxers have to stop meekly accepting it! ”). No wonder they get away with the s___ they do.

[candyslim]

Stupid fans (round eight was just a funny joke). Lying media ("*before* round eight"). Subservient boxers (George Foreman: "Boxers have to stop meekly accepting it! ”). No wonder they get away with the s___ they do.

This is the way they do it in NY. I've seen it happen the same way since (that the Doc intervenes before allowing the round to get underway.)

Even before I knew this, my outrage about the stoppage immediately evaporated when I saw Ortiz was more in need of the respite than Wilder was.
I'm impressed that Ortiz is honest enough to admit that, even if he is perhaps kidding himself about missed opportunities and the like - the fact is he's just too bloody old now, which is probably the only reason he got a crack at the title in the first place.

[Ilya Muromets]

Stupid fans (round eight was just a funny joke). Lying media ("*before* round eight"). Subservient boxers (George Foreman: "Boxers have to stop meekly accepting it! ”). No wonder they get away with the s___ they do.

This is the way they do it in NY. I've seen it happen the same way since (that the Doc intervenes before allowing the round to get underway.)

Even before I knew this, my outrage about the stoppage immediately evaporated when I saw Ortiz was more in need of the respite than Wilder was.
I'm impressed that Ortiz is honest enough to admit that, even if he is perhaps kidding himself about missed opportunities and the like - the fact is he's just too bloody old now, which is probably the only reason he got a crack at the title in the first place.

If that's the way they do it in NY, Candy, show me one other time that they did it. I've never seen it done. Again - listen up, my friend - it did not happen before the round. The article above is lying. It happened after the round was already underway! Wilder came out wobbling and rubber legged, ripe for the picking - but no cut. Then the referee stopped the fight and the ringside doctor, if that's who he really was, came up to examine him. In the middle of the round. Why didn't the ringside doctor signal the ref to pause the fight when Ortiz first got hurt in round ten?

I just made another search for a video of the memory holed 8th round. No luck, but here's what I found. Ortiz' original comments were not as above. He said, "Someone with deep pockets signalled the referee". Malinaggi (who sounds almost as high as Max Kellerman) said at the ringside mike, "Hold on, what are they doing? They can't do that!"

[candyslim]

I'm sorry x2x but I genuinely can't remember who was fighting. It would have been a few weeks after the Wilder/ Ortiz fight and my reaction was "Oh, so it's not something that is just used for Wilder 's protection" .

I realize that (inability to remember the fight) sounds a bit lame, but you know me enough to know that I'm not interested in upholding Wilder's reputation, and I'm certainly not going to lie to put him in a better light.

Yes from memory I believe the round was allowed to start before the intervention. I was incensed for a moment or two but when it resumed it was pretty clear that Ortiz had shot his bolt.

[Ilya Muromets]

I'm sorry x2x but I genuinely can't remember who was fighting. It would have been a few weeks after the Wilder/ Ortiz fight and my reaction was "Oh, so it's not something that is just used for Wilder 's protection" .

I realize that (inability to remember the fight) sounds a bit lame, but you know me enough to know that I'm not interested in upholding Wilder's reputation, and I'm certainly not going to lie to put him in a better light.

Yes from memory I believe the round was allowed to start before the intervention. I was incensed for a moment or two but when it resumed it was pretty clear that Ortiz had shot his bolt.

If you remember the other fight you saw where that happened let me know, Candy. I've never seen anything like it. And even if it is really a new rule in NY it's crazy, totally, absurdly, subject to misuse. Like i said, why didn't the house doctor signal the ref to stop the fight so he could examine Ortiz to make sure he was OK when he first got hurt in round ten? They could do that every time the house fighter gets in trouble. That's what boxing is all about, hurting your opponent and then taking quick advantage of the situation. Boxing is a matter of split seconds. You have to seize the moment when it occurs. Wlad found that out when he had Joshua almost out on his feet and failed to follow up and finish him. Ortiz' opportunity was taken from him. Whether Ortiz was on the verge of exhaustion is irrelevant. He had the fight almost won at that point - and so they intervened. The only way it might be excusable would be if one fighter had a horrible cut and was streaming blood, in which case you'd expect them to stop the fight.

The fact that they have removed all videos showing round eight, or the uncut full fight, from youtube and the internet is a virtual admission of guilt. They've done that before too, and they do it all the time with important real life non-boxing news. They don't call it fake news for nothing.

[Syntax Error]

Ortiz lost because he wasnt good enough....not because of mystical visions.

Spot on.

He wasn't good enough when it really mattered, plus Wilder has shown himself to have big balls & good stamina & recuperative powers, something Ortiz obviously lacks.

He needs to go away, work on his conditioning & work his way back up the rankings by fighting opponents with two arms, two legs & preferably with a pulse.

[Ruthless-RKO]

He needs to go away, work on his conditioning & work his way back up the rankings by fighting opponents with two arms, two legs & preferably with a pulse.

What's the point, he's 40..

I still think he's capable of beating 95% of the top 15 HW's.

[Syntax Error]

He needs to go away, work on his conditioning & work his way back up the rankings by fighting opponents with two arms, two legs & preferably with a pulse.

What's the point, he's 40..

I still think he's capable of beating 95% of the top 15 HW's.

Fair point, but the issue is, the 95% are irrelevant, it's the 5% that are important & Ortiz isn't beating them without improving his conditioning.

In short, he might be 67, but unless he trains properly, he will never acquire an HW title belt, unless the WBA invent another title & send him one in the post.

[candyslim]

Sorry to be pedantic but 5% of the top 15 is only 3/4 of a fighter. I'm not quite sure how that works.

My prediction Luis Ortiz v top 15 in August 2018 :

Anthony Joshua: plays it very cagey for a few rounds keeping tucked in behind the jab. Luis tires after 5 rounds, Joshua opens up and stops him.

Deontay Wilder: Got to figure it goes down like the first. I can't really make a case for Ortiz improving.

Alexandr Povetkin: Difficult to predict. Who has more left? I'm not confident but I'll say Sasha because he has only lost to Wlad who was way better than Wilder.

Dillian Whyte: Ortiz needs to stop him early or he will get outworked and probably stopped.

Joe Parker: Will outspeed and outwork Ortiz. Ortiz won't ko or outlast Parker.

Jarrell Miller: Ortiz hasn't enough power to stop this bull of a man. Ortiz will stay with him for a few rounds but get worn down and overpowered.

Kubrat Pulev: See Povetkin. Battle of yesterday's men. Could go either way depending on who has more left.

Tyson Fury: Another difficult to assess this time because Fury is an unknown quantity but if Tyson is 90% of his 2015 form I'd expect him run rings around the old fellah.

Dominic Breazeale: Won't outbox Ortiz but should outlast him. I doubt Ortiz can stop him but he might be able to maintain the points lead he's built up in the first half while Breazeale is eating into that lead in the second half of the fight.

Andy Ruiz Jnr: Again I don't see Ortiz stopping or outlasting Ruiz. Can Ortiz sustain his points lead?

Adam Kownacki: I think Ortiz needs to knock him out because this guy will just keep coming.

Derek Chisora: Can't hope to match skills with Ortiz but if he's put the work in at the gym he could come on strong in the later rounds.

Carlos Takam: is no spring chicken himself. Who can stay the course better? Takam was gassing badly against Chisora.

Agit Kabayel: has never fought at this level but he is compact, tidy and doesn't appear to have a weak chin or suspect stamina. It won't be a pushover for the old boy.

Hughie Fury: Too quick for Ortiz I reckon and not lacking stamina or boxing ability. Some will scoff but I think Hughie is all the trouble Ortiz can handle these days - and then some.

Johann Duhaupas: won't trouble Ortiz with his boxing ability but I'd back him to still be going strong after eight rounds. Can we be so confident about Ortiz's staying power?

I reckon it's a long way short of 95%.

[Best Coast]

No matter how Ortiz spins this, it doesnt change the fact that the 10th-round KO is one of the most dramatic, exciting finishes in recent HW history...

[Ilya Muromets]

"No matter how Ortiz spins this..."

Memory holed round eight was just an Ortiz "spin"?

[BitPlayer]

Ortiz did well, but I think Wilder would win again. Had Ortiz been younger maybe he could have won, then again, had Wilder not been ill maybe he would have won easier.

Ortiz just can't up it enough anymore, too old and heavy, and when he tries to up it, he just exhausts himself.

That said, given the state of the division, I'd like to see him get one more shot at a champ. Much more deserving than Breazeale or someone.