Go back a few months, and Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz could scarcely get himself an opponent, let alone a big name or a reigning champion. But, having signed with Matchroom, the big, powerful and previously avoided southpaw is closer than ever to the big, big fights his talents deserve. This doesn’t mean Ortiz will get all he wants – he must first get past Malik Scott tomorrow night in Monaco – but the likes of Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are at least possibilities now.
And “King Kong,” unbeaten at 25-0(22) told Sky Sports that his top choice of opponent for the coming 12 months would be WBC champ Wilder.
“Over the next 12 months, on my list first would be Deontay Wilder, he’s talking [expletive],” Ortiz said. “Other than that, the big names – Fury, Joshua, anybody who has a belt. I definitely don’t do a lot of talking, it’s not what I do. What I do is box. I don’t like to talk. On fight night, I just like to come and fight.”