Tag: Luis Ortiz
Heavyweight Luis Ortiz returns on 12/8
MIAMI (December 4, 2017) – Top-rated heavyweight title contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz will take on Daniel “The Mountain” Martz in an added 10-round featured bout on a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes at Hialeah Park in Miami, Florida on Dec. 8.
Ortiz is returning to the ring one week after the World Boxing Council lifted a sanction that it had imposed against the Cuban heavyweight contender in October. Ortiz was pulled from a match against world champion Deontay Wilder scheduled for Nov. 4, after Ortiz failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association drug test. Last week the WBC ruled that Ortiz had failed to disclose two medications that he was taking, which triggered his positive test. He was fined $25,000 for failing to make the disclosure, and re-instated into the organization’s rankings.
That cleared the way for Ortiz to return to the ring, and he will waste no time doing so with a match that he hopes will help propel him toward another world title shot in 2018.
“I’m just thankful to be back in the sport I love so much. I can’t wait to get some action and feel that ring and those gloves tight on my wrist,” Ortiz said. “I’d like to thank everyone, especially my loyal fans, who stood by me and supported me through this rough time. I don’t think it would have been possible without you guys. I’d like to thank the WBC and Mr. Sulaiman for being humane enough to take time for their investigation, and my entire team who never lost faith in me. But most of all I need to thank God because without him there wouldn’t be anything worth living for.”
The 38-year-old Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs), of Camaguey, Cuba now resides in Miami, Fla., and will be fighting Martz in a 10-round bout in front of his adopted hometown crowd. The hard-hitting southpaw turned pro seven years ago after defecting from Cuba and has since been steadily climbing the heavyweight ladder. He cemented his standing in the division with victories over veteran contenders Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott and is currently ranked No. 3 by the WBC. Ortiz hasn’t fought in almost a year, having scored a technical knockout victory over David Allen at Manchester Arena in England on Dec. 10, 2016 in his last fight.
Ortiz-Martz replaces the Chad Dawson-Edwin Rodriguez light heavyweight bout on the card. The match was cancelled after Dawson suffered an injury in training camp.
The 27-year-old Martz (16-5-1, 13 KOs), a 6-foot-7 heavyweight from Clarksburg, West Virginia, has taken on world champion Joseph Parker and contender Bryant Jennings during his five-year professional career. He is coming off a second round technical knockout victory over Tim Washington on Nov. 17.
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Fans can live stream the fights on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
WBA: ‘Luis Ortiz failed most recent anti-doping test’
According to the WBA, Cuban Luis Ortiz failed his most recent anti-doping test and tested positive for chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide, after the results of his urine tests were known.
The Heavyweight fighter provided voluntary anti-doping samples, and sample “A” tested positive on both substances. According to the WBA regulations, such substances are prohibited, so the fighter should be removed from all rankings and receive a suspension of at least six months.
Ortiz has until October 20 to request to examine sample “B”, but he has not yet communicated with the body. If the date is reached without an application, the WBA will proceed to publish a new resolution regarding the case.
Luis Ortiz on Wilder: ‘He’s nervous and keeps forgetting the date of the fight’
WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz will battle on November 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Today, a press conference was held in Manhattan to announce the fight.
Because of inclement weather near his home in Miami, Ortiz was unable to travel to New York, but did offer his thoughts about the upcoming fight via telephone.
Here is what Ortiz had to say:
“I’m ready to go and excited for the fight. I want to get to November 4 so I can do what I have to do,” Ortiz said. “Wilder does a lot of talking. He’s nervous and keeps forgetting the date of the fight. I think he took this fight because he has no choice and no one else to fight. I think Wilder is going to run in this fight. He should be careful what he says before the fight, because I think he’s going to run from me. Wilder should sign his death sentence. I’m very different than anybody else that he’s fought. I punch harder than anybody else. I’m going to teach him not to mess with Cubans. Some skeptics are talking about my age, but look at Mayweather. I still have my speed and my quickness,” Ortiz said.