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'''Luis Ortiz''' (born March 29, 1979) is a Cuban [[professional boxer]]. He held the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] [[interim championship|interim]] [[heavyweight]] title from 2015 to 2016, and has challenged once for the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] heavyweight title in 2018. As an [[amateur boxing|amateur]], he won a silver medal at the [[2005 Boxing World Cup]]. Nicknamed "King Kong", Ortiz is known for his formidable punching power and [[counterpunch (boxing)|counterpunching]] skills.
'''Luis Ortiz''' (born March 29, 1979) is a Cuban [[professional boxer]]. He held the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] [[interim championship|interim]] [[heavyweight]] title from 2015 to 2016, and has challenged once for the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] heavyweight Bums title in 2018. As an [[amateur boxing|amateur]], he won a Brown medal at the [[2005 Boxing World Cup]]. Nicknamed "Queen bee ", Ortiz is known for his formidable punching power and [[counterpunch (boxing)|counterpunching]] skills.


==Amateur career==
==Amateur career==

Revision as of 15:38, 30 March 2019

Luis Chump Ortiz
Born (1979-03-29) March 29, 1979 (age 45)
Camagüey, Cuba
NationalityCuban
Other namesQueen Bee
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Reach78 in (198 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights34
Wins31
Wins by KO26
Losses1
No contests2
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Cuba
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2005 Moscow Heavyweight

Luis Ortiz (born March 29, 1979) is a Cuban professional boxer. He held the WBA interim heavyweight title from 2015 to 2016, and has challenged once for the WBC heavyweight Bums title in 2018. As an amateur, he won a Brown medal at the 2005 Boxing World Cup. Nicknamed "Queen bee ", Ortiz is known for his formidable punching power and counterpunching skills.

Amateur career

Ortiz was a longtime member of the Cuban national team without succeeding at the top international level.

Cuban Championships medals
  • 2002 – silver medal, 95 kg
  • 2003 – bronze medal, 91+ kg
  • 2005 – silver medal, 91 kg
  • 2006 – gold medal, 91 kg
  • 2008 – white ribbon, 91+ kg
International results
  • 2005 – Panamerican Championships, Brazil – gold medal, 91 kg
  • 2005 – World Cup (team competition), Russia – silver medal, 91 kg
  • 2005 – World Championships, China – quarter-finalist, 91 kg

Professional career

Early career

A 30 year old Ortiz made his debut on February 16, 2010 against American boxer Lamar Davis (4-1, 1 KO) in a scheduled 4 round bout at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Ortiz won the fight via TKO after just under 80 seconds of round 1. Ortiz fought again at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for his 2nd professional fight on June 15 against 39 year old Charles Davis. Ortiz won via TKO in round 4. In his 3rd pro fight, Ortiz claimed the vacant WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title against 28 year old Kendrick Releford (22-13-2, (10 KOs) on August 24, 2010. Releford was knocked down once in round 2, as Ortiz won the fight via 8 round unanimous decision 80–72, 79–72, and 79–72. Ortiz won his next 2 bouts via 8 round stoppage against Zack Page and Francisco Álvarez (12-1, 10 KO) improving his record to 5 wins in as many fights, with 4 coming within the distance. Ortiz fought at the Double Tree Westshore Hotel in Tampa, Florida on January 28, 2011 against Rubén Rivera (3-5, 1 KO). Rivera was deducted 2 points in round 4 and then disqualified in round 5 for repeated low blows.

Regional success

Ortiz fought twice in April, first defeating Jerry Butler via 3rd-round TKO and then knocking out former world title challenger Bert Cooper (38-22, 31 KOs) within 2 rounds.[2] Ortiz then fought 27 year old Corey Winfield (4-7, 2 KOs) in May at the Rec Center in Wilson, North Carolina. Ortiz won the bout via knockout in round 3. Ortiz fought at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa, Florida on June 3 against 36 year old Jason Barnett (12-13, 6 KOs), winning the bout via 1st-round TKO, knocking Barnett down twice.[3] Ortiz fought two weeks later on the undercard of middleweight title fight between Golovkin and Ouma at the Arena Roberto Durán in Panama against former cruiserweight world title challenger Luis Andres Pineda (22-9-1, 18 KOs). This was for the WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title as well as vacant WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title. Ortiz won the bout stopping Pineda in round 6.[4] A month later, Ortiz defended the WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title against Henry Saenz (22-8-1, 18 KOs) at the Gimnasio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica. Ortiz won the fight via 3rd TKO.[5]

In February 2012, Ortiz fought 36 year old Epifanio Mendoza (32-13-1, 28 KOs) at the Community Center in Florida for the vacant WBO and vacant WBC Latino heavyweight titles in a scheduled 10 round fight. Ortiz won the fight in round 7, after Mendoza was disqualified for an intentional low blow. Towards the end of October, Ortiz fought three times in the space of 18 days in the Dominican Republic. He knocked out Jose Santos Peralta in 2 minutes and 24 seconds of round 1, beat debutant Juan Carlos Antonio Maldonado via TKO in round 1 and knocked out Santiago De Paula in 4 rounds.

After an 8-month lay off, Ortiz fought in July 2013 against Joseph Rabotte, who was on a 10 fight losing streak. Officially announced as a 3rd-round knockout, the North Carolina Athletic Commission overturned the KO on appeal, ruling that Rabotte accidentally fell out of the ring, resulting in a 'No-Contest' as the bout ended before the start of round 4, which meant the bout could not go to the scorecards.[6] On April 3, 2014, in what was considered as his best and most known opponent in his career to date, Ortiz fought 42 year old former world title challenger Monte Barrett (35-10-2, 20 KOs) at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. Barrett, who was taking this fight on short notice, was hit with a left hand on the nose and went down on his right knee after which referee Caiz stopped the bout without a count. Barrett announced his retirement after this loss. Ortiz landed 49 punches from 137 thrown while Barrett connected 24 of 83 punches thrown.[7][8]

Ortiz vs. Kayode

In August 2014, it was reported by Boxing Scene that Ortiz would get his first world title opportunity, fighting for the vacant WBA Interim heavyweight title against the undefeated former cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode (20-0, 16 KOs) on September 11 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card was to be televised on Fox Sports 1.[9] Ortiz knocked down Lateef Kayode (20-0, 16 KOs) in the first round to win the Interim WBA heavyweight title. 15 unanswered punches by Ortiz which scored on Kayode forced the stoppage. After the bout, Kayode claimed the knockdown was a slip, and stated the stoppage was premature, however Ortiz tested positive for a banned substance after the fight.[10][11][12]

On October 27, 2014, the Nevada State Athletic Commission postponed the taking of a decision whether to change the result to a no-contest or not until a full hearing of Ortiz who was not yet ready to testify on that date.[13][14]

After a 9-month lay-off through suspension, Ortiz fought on the undercard of world middleweight title fight LemieuxN'Dam N'Jikam on June 20, 2015 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada against 35 year old American Byron Polley (27-18-1, 12 KOs).[15] Ortiz won via first-round TKO.[16]

WBA interim heavyweight champion

Ortiz vs. Vidondo

A year after being stripped, Ortiz had a second chance of becoming Interim world champion, this time against Argentine Matias Ariel Vidondo on the undercard of Golovkin vs. Lemieux televised undercard on October 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ortiz was supposed to face former world titleholder Bermane Stiverne (24-2-1, 21 KOs), but Stiverne's promoter Don King declined to sign the contract after the deal had been agreed to. Golden Boy then signed relative unknown 38 year old Vidondo for the fight.[17] Vidondo was down once in rounds two after being rocked with a left hand late in the round. Ortiz won the bout via KO in the third round, after sending him to the mat with a powerful right hook. Following the stoppage, Ortiz climbed to the top rope doing his trademark chest beating.[18][19]

Ortiz vs. Jennings

On October 21, 2015 HBO announced that Ortiz would have his first real test against former world title challenger Bryant Jennings (19-1, 10 KOs) on December 19, at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. The fight was initially being pushed for the Golovkin vs. Lemieux undercard, however a deal was not reached.[20][21] Ortiz won the bout via TKO in the seventh round to successfully retain his interim title. Ortiz's power was too much for Jennings as he hurt him repeatedly early in the fight. Jennings bounced back nicely in the second before again being hurt in the third, and then came back nicely again in the fourth. But from there, Ortiz seemed to take the fight over, then finished him off in round seven with a vicious left uppercut that sent Jennings face down on the canvas.[22][23] After the fight, Ortiz called out fellow heavyweights Wilder, Fury and Klitschko, stating he was ready to prove himself as the best in the division.[24] This was the first time Ortiz main evented a card on HBO Boxing After Dark, which averaged 616,000 viewers, reaching a peak 735,000 viewers.[25] This was Jennings first stoppage loss in his professional career. Ortiz improved his record to 24-0 with 21 knockouts and ranked at #1 by the World Boxing Association.[26]

Ortiz vs. Thompson

On February 9, 2016 it was announced that Ortiz would defend his WBA Interim title against veteran heavyweight Tony Thompson (40-6, 27 KOs) at the DC Armory, in Washington on March 5. Ortiz stated it was "just another stepping stone on my path to becoming the unified heavyweight world champion."[27] It was later announced on March 1, that this bout would no longer be for the WBA Interim title, simply because Thompson wasn't ranked in the top 15 by the World Boxing Association at the time. Thompson had lost three out of his last five fights, with his last outing a points decision defeat to Malik Scott in October 2015. Thompson was also beaten by Carlos Takam and Kubrat Pulev in the last three years.[28] On fight night, in front of 4,585 in attendance, Ortiz knocked Thompson down in rounds 1, 3 and 6. Thompson got up, but the referee Malik Waleed stopped contest. The judges had Ortiz ahead on all scorecards at the time of stoppage 50–43, 48–47, and 50–43.[29] The fight was shown live on HBO Boxing After Dark and averaged 740,000 viewers and peaked at 807,000 viewers. This was an increase from his previous fight against Jennings.[30][31]

Cancelled defences

After Ortiz defeated Jennings, the WBA had wanted Golden Boy Promotions to put together a fight between Ortiz and #5 WBA Alexander Ustinov, and initially that fight looked as though it wouldn't happen, and Ortiz fought Thompson instead.[32] However, in May 2016 an announcement was made that a deal was in place for Ortiz to face Ustinov in the United States with the fight to be shown on HBO, who had also broadcast Ortiz last two fights. The fight was to take place on the undercard of Saul Alvarez's next fight on September 17 at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. The winner would be a step closer to a world title shot against the winner of the rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko, which was eventually cancelled after Fury was declared 'medically unfit'. According to Ustinov's promoter, Vladimir Hryunov, the fight was pulled from the card on August 2, stating Ortiz was 'problematic and imploded the whole fight'.[33] WBA ordered a purse bid to take place on August 15 at its offices in Panama City with the minimum bid being $600,000. Ortiz entitled to 60 percent, meaning he would earn at least $360,000, and Ustinov entitled to 40 percent, at least $240,000.[34]

It was confirmed in October that a deal had been reached for Ortiz to defend his World title against French heavyweight Carlos Takam on November 11 in Monte Carlo. However it was later announced that Takam would next fight Johann Duhaupas for the WBC Silver title.[35][36]

Signing with Matchroom

Ortiz signed a lucrative deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Sport on October 9, 2016, believing it's the 'fastest way to stardom'. With this deal, Ortiz became the first foreign boxer to sign with the promotion. The deal was later revealed to be on a fight by fight basis.[37]

The following day it was confirmed that Ortiz would be fighting for the vacant WBA Inter-continental heavyweight title in the ‘Monte-Carlo Boxing Bonanza’ main event against American Malik Scott (38-2-1, 13 KOs) on November 12. This was a European debut for Ortiz.[38] Ortiz won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds fighting a highly evasive and defensive Scott. Scott went down many times during the fight which were ruled as slips. Ortiz knocked Scott down in rounds 4, 5 and 9 as the judges scored the contest 120–105, 120–106, and 119–106 all in favor of Ortiz who picked up the vacant WBA inter-continental title. At one point in the first round, the referee halted the fight just to tell Scott to fight as he had not thrown a single punch. Scott started getting into the fight after the half way mark with some counter style punching, none of which really affected Ortiz. In a lacklustre fight, Ortiz landed 146 of 472 punches thrown (31 percent), while Scott landed 45 of 155 (29 percent).[39][40]

After Ortiz defeated Scott, heavyweights opened up about fighting Ortiz next. British boxer David Allen (9-1, 6 KOs) was one to make his voice heard and approached Eddie Hearn about a possible fight. On November 23, the fight was officially agreed to take place on the undercard of JoshuaMolina IBF heavyweight title fight on December 10 at the Manchester Arena. Allen commented on the match-up, "I don’t think he's what he's hyped up to be, but I will give him more opportunity than Malik Scott to show he is the real deal, I’ll stand in front of him and see what he's about. I’ll stand and trade because I can’t do anything else. You can expect a fight, that's for definite."[41][42] Ortiz scored a 7th-round knockout victory over Allen. The end came when Allen was taking punishment against the ropes. Ortiz was landing left hooks and uppercuts, trying to take Allen out with one punch before the referee stopped the fight.[43]

Following the win against Allen, Ortiz was named mandatory challenger for the winner of the IBF, WBA (Super) and IBO unification bout between Joshua and Klitschko.[44]

Signing with Al Haymon

On March 29, 2017 Ortiz signed a deal with American boxing adviser Al Haymon.[45] His first bout was believed to take place on April 22, 2017.[46][47]

A day later it was revealed that he would be part of the April 22 undercard of the Shawn PorterAndre Berto world title eliminator at the Barclays Center in New York against then 36 year old journeyman Derric Rossy (31-12, 15 KOs) in a scheduled 10 round bout. Prior to this bout, Rossy had only won two of his last six fights and well known for giving opponents a tough fight.[47][48] Ortiz injured his right thumb during training. After receiving reports back from the doctor, on April 14 the fight was called off.[49]

On July 18, 2017 it was reported that a deal was being worked out for Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) to make his sixth defence of his WBC title against heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz. Wilder's promoter Lou DiBella, had put the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on hold for October 14 and November 4, 2017. According to sources, Don King, promoter of Bermane Stiverne, mandatory challenger for Wilder, had reported to be working out a step a side fee from Wilder and Ortiz's advisor Al Haymon.[50][51] Stiverne announced he had hired James Prince and attorney Josh Dubin as his managers, who were best known to have worked for Andre Ward, Shakur Stevenson and Bryant Jennings. Stiverne told Boxing Scene that Don King had not been given any permission to negotiate a step a side fee and he would work with his management team to ensure he challenges for the WBC title in his next fight.[52] WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman worked on a deal to finalise Wilder vs. Ortiz for November 4, 2017. According to TheRing.tv, Stiverne agreed a mid six-figure payday to allow the fight to take place.[53] In a phone interview, Stiverne mentioned the step-a-side fee and reported he could fight former world title challenger Dominic Breazeale next.[54]

On September 12, it was reported by Showtime that the fight was a done deal, awaiting official announcement for the fight to take place on November 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Showtime revealed the card would include Daniel Jacobs as chief support.[55] On September 18, the fight was made official, pending the official press conference, which would take place the next day.[56] ESPN was advised that Stiverne would fight Breazeale on the undercard in a title eliminator.[57]

Doping case

It was reported on September 29, 2017, Ortiz had failed a drug test carried out by VADA, part of the WBC clean programme. The drugs found in Ortiz's sample were diuretics chlorothaizide and hydrochlorothiazide, which are used to treat high blood pressure but also can be used as masking agents for performance-enhancing drugs. The urine sample was taken on September 22 in Miami. Ortiz never informed VADA that he had been on medication.[58]

On October 4, the WBC withdrew its sanction on the Wilder vs. Ortiz fight and immediately ordered Wilder to fight mandatory challenger Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs).[59] Ortiz's manager Jay Jimenez clarified the situation regarding the WBC stating that their decision wasn't to punish Ortiz, but rather they were concerned about his health. He said, "The WBC will schedule a visit with one of their approved physicians to check Luis' health, and make sure he is 100% healthy and fit to fight, and that the blood pressure pills will not affect him physically."[60]

On October 9, Eddie Hearn, promoter of Anthony Joshua, stated that Ortiz could remain mandatory challenger for the WBA.[61] Ortiz had until October 20 to request a 'B' sample. WBA waited on this date before they would decide to take any action.[62] On October 20, WBA suspended Ortiz. Ortiz and his handlers were notified that he would serve at least a six-month suspension, his mandatory status removed and would be removed from the rankings effective immediately.[63]

On November 2, the WBA officially handed Ortiz with a one-year suspension, immediately removing him from their rankings. He would also not be eligible to fight for any WBA title for one year. Mendoza stated that Ortiz never asked for a 'B' sample to be tested accordingly, instead doing so verbally.[64] WBA president Gilberto Mendoza later stated that the longevity of the ban was also due to Ortiz being a repeat offender, having previously failed a test in 2014 for anabolic steroids.[65] A final ruling was set by the WBC on November 30 where Ortiz was fined $25,000 USD, however was given a pass, meaning he would remain in the rankings.[66][67]

Ring return

Ortiz wasted no time returning to the ring. On December 4, 2017 it was announced that he would appear on a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on December 8 at the Hialeah Park in Miami, Florida, his first fight in Florida in three years, against journeyman Daniel Martz (16-5-1, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout. The fight was a late edition due to Chad Dawson-Edwin Rodriguez being cancelled after the former suffered an injury in training.[68] Ortiz made quick work of Martz, knocking him out in round 2. Martz went down face-first after being hit with a left hook to the head. Martz also went down in the first round from a body shot. After the fight, Ortiz called out Wilder, who was sat near ringside, calling commentary. Wilder said to Ortiz, ”I guarantee you, you’ll have the fight.”[69][70]

Ortiz vs. Wilder

On December 19, negotiations resumed between Ortiz and Wilder, with a potential fight for Wilder's WBC heavyweight title to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 3, 2018.[71] According to RingTV on December 30, an agreement had been reached.[72] Terms were agreed on January 12 and the fight was officially announced on January 23.[73][74][75] Wilder weighed his lowest since turning professional in 2008, at 214 pounds. Ortiz came in at 241¼ pounds.[76]

Wilder overcame difficulty and knocked Ortiz out in round 10 to retain his WBC title in front of a crowd of 14,069. Both boxers started the fight cautious with Wilder throwing the jab, however Ortiz seemed to do more in the opening 4 rounds throwing combinations. Wilder took control in round five, knocking Ortiz down once. Wilder was hurt badly in round 7 by a right hook and left hand from Ortiz. Wilder was then trapped on the ropes taking head and body shots from Ortiz. Referee David Fields kept a close eye on Wilder who looked at one time to be almost out on his feet but managed to make it to the end of the round. Despite Ortiz not managing to drop Wilder in round 7, all three judges scored the round 10–8 for Ortiz. Wilder used rounds 8 and 9 to rest up and managed to avoid any punishment. Wilder hurt Ortiz with a right hand at the end of round 9. Wilder then unloaded on Ortiz in round 10, who at this point looked tired, dropping him twice before the match was halted by David Fields. The official time of the stoppage was at 2:05 of round 10.[77]

At the time of stoppage, all three judges had their scorecards 85–84 in favor of Wilder.[78] After the fight, Wilder spoke about his win and praised Ortiz, "'King Kong' ain't got nothing on me. A true champion always finds a way to come back, and that's what I did tonight. Luis Ortiz is definitely a crafty guy. He put up a great fight. We knew we had to wear him down. I showed everyone I can take a punch. When Ortiz leaves tonight, he can hold his head high. He gave the fans a hell of a fight." Ortiz also gave his thoughts on the fight. Speaking through a translator, he said, "I feel fine. I did receive a right hand, but I'm OK. I was listening to the directions that my corner was giving me. In this sport, any punch can end a fight. It was a great fight and I performed well." According to CompuBox Stats, Wilder landed 98 of 346 punches thrown (28%) and Ortiz landed 87 of his 363 thrown (24%).[79] For the fight, Wilder earned a career-high $2.1 million and Ortiz received a $500,000 purse. The event was Barclays Center's second-biggest boxing crowd after Thurman vs. García, which was attended by 16,533 in March 2017.[80] The fight averaged 1.1 million viewers and peaked at 1.2 million on Showtime. The last time Showtime did over 1 million viewers was in 2015 when Wilder defeated Stiverne for the WBC title.[81]

Ortiz vs. Cojanu

On July 7, 2018 it was rumored that Ortiz would return in a 10-round bout on July 28, on the undercard of WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia’s unification match against IBF champion Robert Easter Jr., against Joe Hanks (22-2, 14 KOs) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Three days later, it was officially announced that Ortiz would fight on that card, however would instead fight former world title challenger Răzvan Cojanu (16-3, 9 KOs).[82][83] Ortiz won the fight via knockout in round 2. Ortiz used the first round landing clean right hooks and left hands to Cojanu's head. After being taunted a number of times in the beginning of round 2, Ortiz caught Cojanu with a right followed by a left hook to the head which sent him down face first. Cojanu was able to beat the count but looked badly hurt. The referee stopped the action at 2 minutes and 8 seconds.[84] After the fight, speaking through a translater, Ortiz said, "I want to fight [unified titleholder Anthony] Joshua, but he only fights boxers he's sure he can defeat. I'm going to ask the government to put me on disability, maybe that way Joshua will fight me [...] I won't shy away from any challenge. I'm ready."[85] The WBC stated they would not force the Wilder vs. Dominic Breazeale mandatory fight until the end of 2018, so a rematch between Wilder and Ortiz would be acceptable before then.[86] The fight averaged 583,000 viewers and peaked at 606,000 viewers.[87]

Ortiz vs. Kauffman

On October 24, 2018 Ortiz's manager Jay Jimenez announced that a deal had been reached for Ortiz to fight American boxer Travis Kauffman (32-2) on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Showtime PPV card on December 1, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The fight, along with the rest of the card was finalized on November 9.[88][89] Before the fight was announced, Ortiz and Dillian Whyte called each other out. Ortiz offered Whyte a fight on the December 1 card and Whyte offered Ortiz a chance to fight him on December 22 in London. Ortiz accepted Whyte's offer, however promoter Eddie Hearn stated Whyte vs. Dereck Chisora made more sense in the UK.[90][91][92] In the build up to his fight against Ortiz, Kauffman questioned Ortiz's wins on his resume after multiple failed drug tests. At the same time, he also praised Ortiz's boxing skills.[93] Ortiz stepped on the scales at 241 pounds and Kauffman weighed 229 pounds.[94] For the fight, Ortiz was guaranteed $375,000 compared to Kauffman's $125,000 purse.[95] On fight night, Ortiz dropped Kauffman three times before winning the fight via TKO in the final round. The official time of stoppage was 1 minute and 58 seconds of round 10. Ortiz dominated all rounds leading to the stoppage, however Kauffman was always standing infront of him and showed a good chin and heart, even switching to the southpaw stance, where he had some success. Ortiz was twice warned for low blows. In round 6, Ortiiz landed an overhand left which dropped Kauffman to the canvas. Ortiz, believing he won, stood on the top ropes and did his signature chest pounding. Kauffman beat the count and finished the round. Another overhand left, this time to Kauffman's jaw, dropped him for a second time in the first minute of round 8. Kauffman slowly got up and again beat the count and saw out the remainder of the round. In the first minute of round 10, Ortiz landed another overhand left, dropping Kauffman a third time. After Kauffman beat the count, Ortiz piled on the pressure with numerous power shots, mostly unanswered, forcing referee Thomas Taylor to step in and stop the fight.[96][97] Ortiz landed 135 punches in comparison to the 37 punches landed by Kauffman. Ortliz landed 69 power punches in total. After the fight, Ortiz stated he was looking for fight Wilder.[98] British boxer Joe Joyce, who also boxed on the card, called out Ortiz. Ortiz later accepted, stating he does not turn down a challenge.[99]

Professional boxing record

34 fights 31 wins 1 loss
By knockout 26 1
By decision 3 0
By disqualification 2 0
No contests 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
34 Win 31–1 (2) Romania Christian Hammer UD 10 Mar 2, 2019 United States Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.
33 Win 30–1 (2) United States Travis Kauffman TKO 10 (10), 1:58 Dec 1, 2018 United States Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
32 Win 29–1 (2) Romania Răzvan Cojanu TKO 2 (10), 2:08 Jul 28, 2018 United States Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
31 Loss 28–1 (2) United States Deontay Wilder TKO 10 (12), 2:05 Mar 3, 2018 United States Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. For WBC heavyweight title
30 Win 28–0 (2) United States Daniel Martz KO 2 (10), 0:43 Dec 8, 2017 United States Park Race Track, Hialeah, Florida, U.S.
29 Win 27–0 (2) United Kingdom David Allen TKO 7 (8), 2:59 Dec 10, 2016 United Kingdom Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
28 Win 26–0 (2) United States Malik Scott UD 12 Nov 12, 2016 Monaco Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
27 Win 25–0 (2) United States Tony Thompson KO 6 (12), 2:29 Mar 5, 2016 United States D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S.
26 Win 24–0 (2) United States Bryant Jennings TKO 7 (12), 2:41 Dec 19, 2015 United States Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, U.S. Retained WBA interim heavyweight title
25 Win 23–0 (2) Argentina Matias Ariel Vidondo KO 3 (12), 0:17 Oct 17, 2015 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Won vacant WBA interim heavyweight title
24 Win 22–0 (2) United States Byron Polley TKO 1 (8), 2:38 Jun 20, 2015 Canada Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
23 NC 21–0 (2) Nigeria Lateef Kayode TKO 1 (12), 2:55 Sep 11, 2014 United States The Joint, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. For vacant WBA interim heavyweight title;
Originally a TKO win for Ortiz, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test
22 Win 21–0 (1) United States Monte Barrett KO 4 (10), 0:38 Apr 3, 2014 United States Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.
21 Win 20–0 (1) Puerto Rico Alex Gonzales KO 1 (10), 2:00 Nov 26, 2013 United States BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida, U.S.
20 NC 19–0 (1) United States Joseph Rabotte KO 3 (10), 2:59 Jul 20, 2013 United States Mirage Exotic Nightlife, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. Originally a KO win for Ortiz after Rabotte fell out of the ring, later ruled an NC
19 Win 19–0 Dominican Republic Santiago De Paula TKO 4 (10), 2:22 Nov 16, 2012 Dominican Republic Club de Leones El Millón, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
18 Win 18–0 Dominican Republic Juan Carlos Antonio Maldonado TKO 1 (6), 0:30 Nov 9, 2012 Dominican Republic Gimnasio Joan Guzmán, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
17 Win 17–0 Dominican Republic Jose Santos Peralta KO 1 (10), 2:24 Sep 30, 2012 Dominican Republic Gimnasio Joan Guzmán, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
16 Win 16–0 Nicaragua Walter Palacios TKO 2 (6), 0:10 May 26, 2012 Nicaragua Polideportivo España, Managua, Nicaragua
15 Win 15–0 Colombia Epifanio Mendoza DQ 7 (10), 1:07 Feb 10, 2012 United States Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S. Won vacant WBC Latino and WBO Latino heavyweight titles;
Mendoza disqualified for a low blow
14 Win 14–0 Dominican Republic Frank Mola RTD 2 (10), 3:00 Nov 25, 2011 Dominican Republic Coliseo Teo Cruz, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
13 Win 13–0 United States Arron Lyons RTD 7 (10), 3:00 Aug 12, 2011 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Nicaragua Henry Saenz TKO 3 (11) Jul 30, 2011 Costa Rica Gimnasio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Retained WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title
11 Win 11–0 Panama Luis Andres Pineda KO 6 (9), 1:43 Jun 17, 2011 Panama Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama Retained WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title;
Won vacant WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title
10 Win 10–0 United States Jason Barnett KO 1 (6), 2:38 Jun 3, 2011 United States A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 United States Corey Winfield KO 3 (8), 2:28 May 21, 2011 United States Recreation Center, Wilson, North Carolina, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 United States Bert Cooper TKO 2 (10), 1:29 Apr 23, 2011 United States County Fair & Exposition, Miami, Florida, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 The Bahamas Jerry Butler TKO 3 (6), 1:40 Apr 2, 2011 United States Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, Florida, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Puerto Rico Ruben Rivera DQ 5 (8), 2:50 Jan 28, 2011 United States DoubleTree, Tampa, Florida, U.S. Rivera disqualified for low blows
5 Win 5–0 Puerto Rico Francisco Alvarez TKO 8 (8), 1:27 Dec 7, 2010 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 United States Zack Page TKO 8 (8), 0:42 Sep 19, 2010 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 United States Kendrick Releford UD 8 Aug 24, 2010 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. Won vacant WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title
2 Win 2–0 United States Charles Davis TKO 4 (6), 2:20 Jun, 15 2010 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 United States Lamar Davis TKO 1 (4), 1:18 Feb 16, 2010 United States Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.

References

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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Derric Rossy
WBC FECARBOX
heavyweight champion

August 24, 2010 – February 10, 2012
Won Latino title
Vacant
Title next held by
Billy Wright
Vacant
Title last held by
Bermane Stiverne
WBA Fedelatin
heavyweight champion

June 17, 2011 – April 2012
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Raphael Zumbano Love
Vacant
Title last held by
Hassan Chitsaz
WBC Latino
heavyweight champion

February 10, 2012 – April 2012
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Billy Wright
Vacant
Title last held by
Gonzalo Basile
WBO Latino
heavyweight champion

February 10, 2012 – June 2013
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Irineu Beato Costa Junior
Vacant
Title last held by
Lucas Browne
WBA Inter-Continental
heavyweight champion

November 12, 2016 – December 2016
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Kubrat Pulev
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
John Ruiz
WBA heavyweight champion
Interim title

October 17, 2015 – November 1, 2016
Stripped
Vacant
Title next held by
Trevor Bryan
Awards
Previous:
James DeGale vs.
Badou Jack
PBC Fight of the Year
vs. Deontay Wilder

2018
Incumbent