Luis Ortiz, 45, clamoring for a chance to disrupt heavyweight division

[Ruthless-RKO]

Luis Ortiz, 45, clamoring for a chance to disrupt heavyweight division

The heavyweight division has been white-hot over the last year, largely thanks to Saudi Arabia’s investment in boxing. Riyadh Season has already hosted eight showcase cards over the last year around the world, with another one set for December 21.

Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang, Martin Bakole, Agit Kabayel, Fabio Wardley, Deontay Wilder, Andy Ruiz Jr., Jarrell Miller, Jared Anderson, Filip Hrgovic, Frank Sanchez, Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frazer Clarke and Otto Wallin have all enjoyed the opportunities and handsome purses presented by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.

Several contenders have catapulted their careers while others have taken serious steps back. And then there is two-time heavyweight title challenger Luis Ortiz (34-3, 29 KOs), who at 45 years old, has been stuck on the outside of the heavyweight carnival looking in.

Ortiz has fought only once in the last two years, which produced a first-round KO of Francisco Cordero in Colombia in January. In recent years, Ortiz has suffered competitive knockout losses to Wilder in 2018 and 2019, a TKO win against Charles Martin in 2021, and a unanimous decision loss to Ruiz in 2022.

Although Ortiz’s longtime head coach Germán Caicedo is preparing “King Kong” to be ready for any potential opportunities, he’s grown frustrated that his Cuban southpaw charge is not getting the calls others have enjoyed to further show he’s still a threat in a loaded division.

“We’re willing to fight anyone,” Caicedo told Boxing Scene. “It hasn't been easy his entire career getting people to fight him because he is so much of a high-risk opponent. He's been the most avoided fighter in boxing. He's never ducked anyone or said no to a fight.

“I know that [Ortiz handlers] Al Haymon and Luis Decubas Jr. are trying to get him a fight. But everyone turns him down or wants too much money. There aren't millions of dollars to give an up-and-coming young guy to fight Luis. And the top guys are just staying away from him and don't even mention him. It's difficult.

“He's a little bit older and has a great name but they still don't want to fight him. He's too good. He's technical. He's a power puncher. They don't want to get beat up by an older guy. It won't look good on them. It takes a special individual to want to fight Luis. There are not too many of those.”

Against Ruiz nearly 25 months ago, although Ortiz was dropped three times, he won seven rounds on one scorecard and six rounds on the other two, making his presence felt in even a unanimous decision loss.

“The Andy Ruiz fight proved that he is not shot and over the hill,” said Caicedo. “I don't know why Turki Alalshikh hasn't gotten interested in Luis fighting some of the top guys at his events. The guys in the division played their cards right by avoiding him. There was no reason for him not to fight everyone. It's out of our control. But now it's just about getting him active again. Time is running out.”

[joshj909]

He is shot and over the hill. Give him a younger guy needing to bounce back like Anderson or Sanchez who will both beat him or an opportunity for someone lower ranked like Pero, Larduet or Torrez. Only other option is a retirement fight like Chisora or Pulev. He's not competitive at the level he thinks he is.

[gregregegg]

I just don’t think Ortiz makes sense for anyone.

He is still a risk cause he can whack a bit and is crafty, but there won’t be much credit gained beating the 87 year old Ortiz….

Frank Sanchez in Cuba or Larduet, or either Pero…

Mabey chisora, Charr, lucus brown, pulev, Zhang, Joyce, and any other geriatrics… Whyte (who I believe will be shot as the above when he comes back)

I’d love Moses or fisher or torrez jr but I can’t see it. I’d favor them but the risk reward is dumb for both party’s.

fornicate it… Dave Allen II….

[margaret thatcher]

hey wilder fans, it's your favourite cuban lover boi

[nmhz]

"“We’re willing to fight anyone,” He's never ducked anyone or said no to a fight."

Except when he said no to a $5 million offer to fight AJ in 2019

[CMCanavessi]

45 what? Decades?

[margaret thatcher]

luis ortiz is so old the mother f@cker sparred with john l sullivan

[Finkel]

I had to double check the date there. I saw 45 and thought someone had bumped a thread from 2017.

[Syntax Error]

Is 45 his age, or the year he was born?

Why on Earth does he think he's still relevant?

His main nemesis, Wilder, who is much younger is pretty much finished, so Ortiz needs to get back to chilling with his great grandchildren and leave boxing to people who don't need to have their PSA levels checked.

[margaret thatcher]

maybe it means luis ortiz the 45th, great great...... great grandson of the original luis ortiz who shared the ring with the likes of wilder and ruiz

[gilgamesh]

Is there a Prospect out there that just took a loss, and needs to bounce back?

Jared Anderson maybe? Ortiz makes sense for a guy like that I'd say. Otherwise than that. No there's no point in fighting him if you're a relevant contender.

[Deslioni]

hey wilder fans, it's your favourite cuban lover boi

Shut up you wet wipe,

[margaret thatcher]

hey wilder fans, it's your favourite cuban lover boi

Shut up you wet wipe,

make me my man

[NazNaci1]

Given how sh*t Wilder is and though losing twice, KO'd a creaking Ortiz twice; an even older version vs Uysk, DDD, Fury, even AJ, is laughable.

[apollo creed]

45, 55 or 65??

[Ruthless-RKO]

[joshj909]

I've seen 60 year olds that look younger than him

[IRONFIST]

He was about 39 years old for ten years.

[gilgamesh]

Why not Wladimir Klitschko vs Luis Ortiz? A comeback is probably a bad idea either way, but that's one way that Wlad could maybe actually get a win before getting a title shot out of nowhere. Or vice versa.

[Brute]

At 45 he is getting long in the tooth. His best time has come and gone.

[Sendo Takeshi]

45 in dog years?

[funso banjo baby]

The 'showcase shows' have been varied in quality. The jake Paul crowd are overjoyed with the Fury usyk stuff and bivol betterbiev but none of these were truly exciting fights barring fury's wobbly round. The kabayel upset was fun but the sanchez fight was a huge disappointment albeit due to injury. Deontay stank the place out twice.


The opatei zorro match up was a joke.

And let's not forget one of these 'showcase shows' with unlimited money managed to feature mark di mori ????

Joshua had two pointless ko's.

The inclusion and hype surrounding Ngannou actually represents another very low point in world boxing.

Scratch under the surface and the saudi glitz isn't all gold.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Luis Ortiz dominates overmatched Penson

Two-time world heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz marked his return from an 18-month hiatus with a 30th career knockout victory, which seemed inevitable from the very start as he pursued the outmatched opponent Phillip Penson (8-5-3, 2 KOs) around the ring, delivering powerful strikes.

Ortiz (35-3, 30 KOs) knocked him down three times - the first was deemed a slip - and the 40-year-old's expression revealed his reluctance to continue after taking heavy shots in the corner. Before long, the one-sided onslaught came to a much-needed conclusion.

[Syntax Error]

Ike Ibeabuchi looks younger than Ortiz.

[Ruthless-RKO]

This was weigh in