Heavyweight Luis Ortiz was scheduled to fight WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder back in November, but after a positive test for a banned substance, which Ortiz said came from his high blood pressure medicine, the fight was canceled.
Ultimately, the WBC cleared Ortiz(28-0, 24 KOs), and now he will fight Wilder(39-0, 38 KOs) on March 3 in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
Recently, Ortiz explained why he tested positive for a banned substance:
“A lot of people that believe in me and know me well, know that I would not do anything that can jeopardize my future as a boxer,” Ortiz said. I have too much at stake: my family, my children and the possibility to provide for them.
“I had been taking that medicine for two years. It was my mistake not to disclose that prescription drug in the paperwork. I never thought a prescription was going to bring me so much trouble. I was taking this medicine to treat high blood pressure, but apparently it’s also used to go to the bathroom a lot and mask other things. I drink two gallons of water per day. I go to the bathroom a lot already. I never put two and two together. I’m clean. The dose they found in my system was too low to mask anything at all. If I would have known this prescription drug was not allowed, I would have told my trainer and my doctor.
“I’m a heavyweight I don’t need to make weight. Why am I going to go to the trouble of taking an illegal substance that makes you go to the bathroom a lot? I have no need. I simply didn’t know it was banned. If I would have known, I would have said something to my trainer or to the doctors.”
Ortiz believes everything happens for a reason, and maybe the fight was meant to be postponed last year:
“I think the fight was not meant to be at that point in time last year. Destiny played a part. It was supposed to be postponed. Now there are no excuses.”
We’ll find out if it is destiny on March 3.