Diego Ortiz led Deontay Wilder through six rounds at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but it only took a split second in the seventh for him to lose the fight. A vicious right by Wilder at 2:51 of the seventh round knocked the Ortiz to the canvas, and out of the fight. Wilder’s victory set up a rematch with Tyson Fury.
Saturday’s fight marks the second time Ortiz had tried to dethrone the WBC Champion, and just like the first bout on March 3, 2018, Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KO) ended things early. Ortiz was leading on all three judge’s cards through six rounds. Two of the judges had Ortiz winning five of six rounds, the other had him taking four of six.
Deontay Wilder with the absolutely insane KNOCK OUT in the 7th round to remain the Heavyweight Champion of the World. 🥊 👑
The power from Wilder on this knock out is out of control 😳pic.twitter.com/Di1qqo4nBN
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 24, 2019
That didn’t matter in the seventh. Wilder paced Ortiz, let him punch at him like he had the previous six rounds, and then lowered the boom with a devastating right hand.
“I had to go in and out, and finally I found my measurement,†Wilder said. “I saw the shot and I took it. My intellect is very high in the ring, and no one gives me credit for me. I think I buzzed him with a left hook earlier in the round, and I took it from there. I’ve said it so often, these guys I’m fighting, they have to be perfect for 12 rounds, but I only have to be perfect for two seconds.â€
Ortiz was hoping to become the first Cuban heavyweight champion, but at 40-years-old, this was probably his last chance.
“I said this wasn’t going to go 12 rounds,†Ortiz said with a smile.
Betting Handle Wilder-Ortiz “Softâ€
The amount of money bet on the fight was low, said one MGM official who didn’t want to be identified. He called the handle “soft.â€
“We had some medium-sized bets, but nothing big,†the MGM official said. “It wasn’t that big of a night.â€
Mirage sportsbook shift manager, Scott Shelton told Covers.com that the money they did get was on Ortiz.
“A steady stream of $5K and $10K bets, mostly on the ‘dog” Ortiz, who is currently +330, with Wilder -400,†Shelton said. “We need Wilder bad. We lose mid-six figures on Ortiz.”
Wilder Wants Fury
With the victory, Wilder has set up a February rematch with Tyson Fury. Their first fight, held on Dec. 1, 2018 at Staples Arena in Los Angeles, ended in a controversial draw. Wilder said the planned Fury fight will take place, and promised a knockout.
“You’re not going to be perfect in a fight, no one is. I hope he took notes and carries it back to his camp because I’m going to knock Fury out like I did the first time,†Wilder said. “Point blank; period. I’m not worried about what anyone says. I’m proven. If they were so sure about certain things and what they’d seen, he would have took the rematch immediately. I’m not running round doing a thousand things. I was the one who demanded the rematch after a controversial decision.â€
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has put out early odds for Wilder-Fury II. Fury is the favorite at -130, while Wilder is at +110.
