Back in March, heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz had the opportunity of a lifetime. The 39-year-old had WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder hurt badly in the 7th round of their fight, but Ortiz could not finish the deal. Ultimately, Wilder would survive and stop Ortiz in 10.
Ortiz believes he made some ‘mental mistakes’ against Wilder, which he thinks cost him the fight.
“I think that my performance against Wilder and since that fight have warranted a rematch,” Ortiz said on Wednesday. “I had Wilder hurt, I just made mental mistakes during the fight. I was fatigued, but I did not get knocked out flat. The referee did his job, but I feel that I did enough to merit another shot. I’ve worked hard to correct the mistakes I made and in a rematch, it would be a different ending.
“Wilder vs. Fury will be an interesting fight. Wilder is fighting someone taller than him for the first time, and that could make it go a lot of ways. But I really do believe Wilder is going to win and win by knockout.”
On December 1, Ortiz will battle Travis Kauffman on the undercard of Wilder-Fury at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Let’s be real, Ortiz is a very dangerous fighter, and may not be worth the risk for Wilder, especially if Wilder can get a fight with Anthony Joshua. However, Wilder-Joshua has a lot of complications. Therefore, if Ortiz keeps winning, maybe he will get his rematch with Wilder sometime down the line.