Category: Wilder vs. Ortiz II

Luis Ortiz could be first Cuban heavyweight champ … not that countrymen would care

Luis Ortiz would become the first Cuban to win a heavyweight title if he beats Deontay Wilder but, he said, fans back home wouldn’t care.

LAS VEGAS – Luis Ortiz would make history in more ways than one way if he were to beat Deontay Wilder on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

One, at 40 years old, he would join George Foreman as the only 40-somethings to win a major heavyweight title. And, two, he would become the first Cuban-born fighter to become champion in the sport’s glamour division.

That isn’t to say that Cuba hasn’t produced great heavyweights. Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon are legendary heavyweights – on the amateur level. They both are triple Olympic champions who are revered in a country where professional boxing doesn’t exist, meaning those who want to make a living by fighting must defect.

Odlanier Solis, another gold medalist, left his country and once fought for a title but was stopped in one round by Vitali Klitschko. Hulking Jorge Luis Gonzalez also challenged for major belt, losing by stoppage to Riddick Bowe.

Ortiz (31-1, 26 knockouts) defected not long after competing in the Cuban championships in 2008 and made his pro debut in 2010, when he was almost 31.

Luis Ortiz was brimming with confidence at the final news conference before he fights Deontay Wilder on Saturday. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

Recognized as both a good boxer and a big puncher, Ortiz has scared off many potential rivals but he eventually earned a shot at Wilder’s title in March of last year. And, with Wilder hurt in the seventh round, he came within a few punches winning the title at that time before he was stopped himself in the 10th round.

On Saturday, he gets a second chance. He would love to win the approval of fans back home if he becomes the first Cuban heavyweight champ but that’s not what he expects.

“The fans here, you guys will (give me credit),” he said through a translator at the final news conference before the fight on Saturday. “In Cuba, unfortunately, they won’t bat an eye. They don’t have pro boxing, they couldn’t care less. For them, Stevenson and Savon will always be the greatest.

“… I would be overjoyed if they recognized me as heavyweight champion and talked about me with the other greats. It’s just not what it is now.”

Leo Santa Cruz: Major titles in four divisions? How about five?

Leo Santa Cruz believes it might be possible for him to win a title in a fifth weight division.

LAS VEGAS – Leo Santa Cruz has stated his goal of joining fellow Mexican-born stars who have won major titles in four divisions, Erik Morales, Jorge Arce and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Santa Cruz might not stop there, though. How about five divisions?

“It’s possible,” said Santa Cruz, who makes his debut at 130 pounds against Miguel Flores on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz card Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 knockouts) has won belts at 118, 122 and 126. Next on the list is 130, assuming he can beat Flores (24-2, 12 KOs) and lure one of the junior lightweight titleholders into the ring.

So the resident of Los Angeles already knows what it’s like to move up in weight and face bigger men. He’s done it gradually – fighting at each weight multiple times – and successfully. His move to 130 is no different.

As in the past, he works on increasing his punching power through strength training and sparring with bigger men without forsaking his specialty – volume punching, which is a product of intense conditioning.

He said his sparring partners have told him that his punches are heavier than in the past.

“I know they’re bigger guys,” Santa Cruz told Boxing Junkie at the final news conference before his fight Saturday. “I’m a big guy, too. I go up to around 140, 140-something pounds. I’m getting used to this weight.

“I’m sparring bigger guys who fight at 135, 140, so I won’t see that much of a difference. I’m going try this weight now and see how it goes.”

And that title in a fifth division? Is that realistic?

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Like I said, I go up to 140-something. I work really hard on my body. I think I can go up to 135.”

Luis Ortiz: ‘This isn’t going to be my last opportunity. I’m here to fight’

Luis Ortiz said his knockout loss to Deontay Wilder in their first fight was the result of fatigue and that has been corrected.

LAS VEGAS – An interviewer asked Deontay Wilder how his rematch with Luis Ortiz on Saturday night at the MGM Grand will end.

The heavyweight titleholder, seated on the dais during the final news conference before the fight, looked up at the interviewer standing next to him and said politely and with a straight face: “Look who you’re talking to.”

Indeed, one can almost assume that Wilder’s opponents will not hear the final bell.

Only Bermane Stiverne, against whom Wilder was content to box to win his championship almost five years ago, and Tyson Fury have gone the distance with the Bronze Bomber. And Stiverne lasted less than a full round in their rematch.

Wilder’s knockout ratio of 95.2 percent (of total) fights is highest in heavyweight history.

Ortiz understands the magnitude of Wilder’s punching power as well as anyone. The Cuban, who almost stopped Wilder in the seventh round, went down twice and couldn’t continue in the 10th round when they met for the first time in March of last year.

Deontay Wilder couldn’t have been more at ease at the final news conference before he fights Luis Ortiz on Saturday. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions

Still, Ortiz, while acknowledging that Wilder (41-0-1, 40 knockouts) is a strong man, said in so many words that Wilder’s power is nothing out of the ordinary.

“I’ve had 500 fights since my amateur career over 10 years,” he said through a translator. “When you get hit by a heavyweight, everybody has power. Sometimes it feels like a horse or a mule kicking you.”

Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) said the reason he was stopped in the first fight was more about fatigue than Wilder’s ability to inflict damage.

The 40-year-old said he trained six weeks before the first fight and weighed 241¼, a typical weight for him. That had always been sufficient for Ortiz to be successful. For this fight, he said, he trained 12 weeks – including work with a strength and conditioning coach, as well as a nutritionist – and is expected to come in lighter than his previous weight.

Everyone would agree that he looked positively svelte at the press conference, his flat stomach visible behind a tight workout suit.

Wilder (left) and Ortiz have developed a cordial relationship. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions

If Ortiz hurts Wilder again, will better fitness enable him to finish the job? Or will Ortiz’s conditioning give him a better chance of withstanding Wilder’s power for the entire 12 rounds?

Wilder isn’t preoccupied with those questions.

“He looks good,” Wilder said of his rival, “but I don’t think it’s going to matter against a fighter like me. 365 days I’m in shape. I come to camp in shape. The first day of camp, we sparred. I’m always prepared, always ready to go.

“And it’s always a good feeling to see my opponents in shape as well, prepared properly and ready for war.”

Wilder implied during the news conference that this fight could be his opponent’s last opportunity to fight on the biggest stage, which hit a nerve with Ortiz. He obviously doesn’t plan to fade away any time soon.

“This isn’t going to be my last opportunity,” he said. “I’m here to fight. You’ll see on Saturday. … It was just simply fatigue (in the first fight). I corrected that. And this time around the better man will win.”

The Boxing Junkie Analysis: Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz II

Luis Ortiz will have his moments against Deontay Wilder in their rematch Saturday but, like their first fight, he won’t survive 12 rounds.

‘Tis the season for heavyweight title rematches.

Before Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz duke it out for a second time on December 7 in Saudi Arabia, heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz will look to reprise their dramatic tussle from last year in which Wilder rallied to stop Ortiz in a 10th round. The fighters will vie for Wilder’s portion of the heavyweight crown Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The stakes are high for Wilder. A successful defense will trigger a reported rematch clause with Tyson Fury for next year on pay-per-view. As for the Cuban Ortiz, a win will redeem a lifetime of endless toiling in boxing backwaters and make him one of the rare quadragenarians to win a heavyweight title.

Here is a break down of the fight.

DEONTAY WILDER (41-0-1, 40 KOs)
VS. LUIS ORTIZ (31-1-0, 26 KOs)

Date: Saturday, November 23
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
TV: Fox PPV
Division: Heavyweight
At stake: Wilder’s WBC title
Current win streak: Wilder, 1; Ortiz, 3
Ages: Wilder, 34; Ortiz, 40
Stances: Wilder orthodox; Ortiz southpaw
Trajectory: Wilder at peak; Ortiz declining
Also fighting: Leo Santa Cruz vs. Miguel Flores, junior lightweights; Luis Nery vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez, bantamweights; Brandon Figueroa vs. Julio Ceja, junior featherweights; Leduan Barthelemy vs. Eduardo Ramirez, junior lightweights.
Worth watching (up to five stars)? * * * *

 

SKILL SET

Wilder
Gone are the days when one could share in a hearty chuckle with the boxing peanut gallery over Wilder’s rudimentary skill set, windmill punches and whatnot. A big reason for that, of course, is his KO win over Ortiz last year. That Wilder was able to blow out the most skilled big man today – outside of Tyson Fury – made any subsequent criticism of his gawky style feel more like quibbling than anything else. It’s true that his power covers up his various technical deficiencies but Wilder, in fact, fights with an underrated sense of tact. He shoots his vaunted bazooka right precisely behind his long jab with virtually no tell. Wilder clearly knows what he’s doing. It may be simple, but as he’s proven, it is very, very effective.

Ortiz
Ortiz hails from the so-called Cuban amateur school of boxing. And while it it isn’t known to produce fan-friendly styles, virtually all of its alumni graduate with a doctorate in the hard fundamentals of the “sweet science.” Ortiz gave Wilder fits in the last fight, as he worked behind his right jab, which neutralized Wilder’s, while digging straight lefts to the body. There is a reason Ortiz has been avoided for so long. Ortiz can outbox Wilder. The question is whether he can keep that up for 12 rounds.

Edge: Ortiz

 

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PUNCHING POWER

Wilder
What else needs to be said? Only Bermane Stiverne (in the first fight) and Fury (by the slightest of margins) have heard the final bell against Wilder. Wilder’s power is such that a granite chin isn’t exactly the answer either. (You don’t want to brag that you withstood a slew of those skull-bashing right hands). You’re best shot might be to avoid getting hit in the first place.

Ortiz
In any other matchup we would be talking about Ortiz’s considerable power, the Cuban having notched 26 stoppages in 32 fights, albeit mainly against stiffs. Even so, he had Wilder hurt in that pivotal seventh round of the first fight. Ortiz can crack and there’s no doubt that should he get close enough to unload his own mean straight left, Wilder will be in a world of trouble.

Edge: Wilder

 

EXPERIENCE

Wilder
It wasn’t until he was 20 years old that Wilder donned a pair of boxing gloves. Up until then he had played football and basketball his whole life. Despite the late start and limited amateur experience, Wilder was able to barnstorm his way to the 2008 Olympics. When he turned professional three months later, Wilder was still very much a work in progress. Not surprisingly, he was moved cautiously by his handlers early on. After feasting on no-hopers for the majority of his title defenses, Wilder has stepped up the competition a few notches in the past year and a half.

Ortiz
Like many of his Cuban brethren, Ortiz has an astronomical number of amateur fights under his belt, perhaps in excess of 400, according to reports. He has faced every style imaginable. But the amateur ranks do not prepare you for unadulterated power like Wilder’s.

Edge: Ortiz

 

DURABILITY

Wilder
By blowing out most of his low opposition, Wilder has avoided sustaining too much punishment throughout his career. Moreover, he proved he had a solid chin when he was able to survive Ortiz’s onslaught in that seventh round. Wilder isn’t as heavy as some of his heavyweight peers, such as Tyson Fury, who outweighed him by nearly 30 pounds in their fight, but any discrepancy in size is clearly shored up by his superlative power and length.

Ortiz
At this point, Ortiz’s worst enemy, aside from Wilder’s right, may be himself. At 40, Ortiz is far from his physical prime. Eventually, the toll of one rigorous training camp after another and the collective punishment incurred in the ring eventually find their way to the ring. Recent pictures show Ortiz in chiseled form, but one wonders at what expense. Stamina has been something of an issue for Ortiz. He emptied the tank in that hellacious Round 7, battering Wilder from pillar to post, but he couldn’t quite finish the job. In his last fight against mediocre Christian Hammer, Ortiz looked flat and seemed fatigued in the late rounds.

Edge: Wilder

 

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INTANGIBLES

Wilder
It comes down to the reflexes and the fact that the man who has the quicker synapses also possesses brutish punching power. When Wilder hurts his opponents, he genuinely looks to finish them off. Wilder may also have a psychological advantage over Ortiz, given that he knows he can take Ortiz’s best shot, while Ortiz could not take Wilder’s. Also, Wilder may not be one of Las Vegas’ “house fighters” in the way that Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez are, but this is still effectively a home game for him.

Ortiz
Ortiz will go into the fight in perhaps the best shape he has ever been, at least according to his trainer Herman Caicedo. And, indeed, he looked trim at the final press conference on Wednesday. Caicedo says his charge was not even in “sparring shape” for the first fight.

Edge: Wilder

PREDICTION

Expect the rematch to begin a lot like the first fight did, with Ortiz outworking Wilder early on, jabbing his way forward and mixing in left hands to the body. Look for Ortiz to line up Wilder for his left by continually forcing him to his right. Meanwhile, Wilder will bide his time trying to spot the first glimmer of an opening before he pulls the trigger on his explosive right. Ortiz will have to bridge the gap in order to land his power shots, and at some point, Wilder will take advantage of Ortiz’s temerity.

Wilder TKO 7

Deontay Wilder playing with fire by fighting Luis Ortiz again

Luis Ortiz came within a few punches of knocking out Deontay Wilder in March of last year yet Wilder agreed to fight him again.

Say what you want about Deontay Wilder but you have to agree: The man has nerve.

Luis Ortiz came within a few punches of knocking out the heavyweight titleholder in March of last year but Wilder survived and turned the tables, stopping Ortiz in Round 10. So what does Wilder do? He agrees to fight Ortiz again.

He didn’t have to do that, which isn’t lost on one interested party.

“Deontay Wilder is a throwback fighter like me, and we both want to fight the best,” said Ortiz, who, like Wilder, arrived Tuesday at the MGM Grand for their fight Saturday in Las Vegas. “I believe I’m the best and that’s why I’m getting this rematch.”

Wilder (41-0-1, 40 knockouts) seconded that notion.

“Even though I knocked Ortiz out the first time, it was an amazing fight,” he said. “That was the fight that I was challenged the most. I understand why none of the other heavyweights want to fight Ortiz.

Luis Ortiz arrives at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for his second shot at Deontay Wilder on Saturday. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

“He’s very dangerous and I blessed him with a second chance,” continued Wilder. “Fans always get their money’s worth when I’m on the big stage.”

Wilder is coming off a Knockout of the Year candidate in May, a one-punch stoppage of Dominic Breazeale in Brooklyn. That followed Wilder’s controversial draw with Tyson Fury, who waits in the wings to see who will win on Saturday.

Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) has beaten three journeymen since the setback against Wilder, the last being a unanimous-decision victory over Christian Hammer in March.

However, the 40-year-old Cuban also has destroyed the contenders he has faced since turning pro in 2010, which is why few heavyweights have been eager to face him. Among his victims: Lateef Kayode, Bryant Jennings, Tony Thompson and Malik Scott.

Wilder and Ortiz appear to be serious about their rematch. Stephanie Trapp / TGB Promotions

Ortiz expects to give a vintage performance on Saturday.

“I’m focused on this fight and this fight only and doing everything to have my hand raised Saturday night,” he said.

Wilder also is confident.

“People know what I’m able to do to another human being inside of that ring,” he said. “I can’t wait for Saturday night.”

Luis Ortiz says knockout loss to Deontay Wilder last year haunts him

Luis Ortiz has had difficulty getting over his loss to Deontay Wilder last year and promises things will be different in the rematch.

Luis Ortiz still has difficulty accepting his knockout loss to Deontay Wilder in March of last year.

Ortiz, who faces Wilder in a rematch on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, had his rival hurt badly in a dramatic seventh round of their first fight – Ortiz’s first shot at a major title – only to get stopped himself in the 10th.

The Cuban has won three consecutive fights since then to earn another shot at Wilder and his belt.

“The entire team has been able to put it in perspective … and to move forward,” Ortiz said through a translator to a group of reporters recently. “I obviously don’t take it as well. It’s a thorn in my side. The difference being, obviously, is that I not only trained harder, but trained smarter.

“So, if the seventh round appears again, it’s going to be a smarter seventh round. And I’ll definitely show what should’ve happened in the first fight.”

Luis Ortiz says he won’t waste an opportunity against Deontay Wilder a second time. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

The 40-year-old contender went on: “There are no excuses. It is what it is. The first fight’s over. We’re talking about this fight and I’m going to get the victory this time. Obviously, things are being done differently. But in the ring, that’s where it’s decided. …

“My state of mind is very different coming into this second fight. Not that I wasn’t focused in the first fight, but I took the loss to heart. It still hurts. I’m still very upset over it, emotionally. I want to be world champion. That’s not just a phrase I throw out there to please the (media). I want to do this and I want to become a world champion.”

The Wilder-Ortiz fight will be available on Showtime Pay-Per-View.

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz share bond over daughters’ health issues

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz are elite boxers but also fathers who fight for daughters born with challenging medical conditions.

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz share more than a ring.

They are fathers who fight for daughters born with medical conditions that have required intensive care. It’s a shared experience, a bond between two dangerous heavyweights who will attempt to knock each other out Saturday night in a rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on DAZN.

Wilder’s daughter, Naieya, was born with spina bifida. It can lead to paralysis. With treatment, however, Naieya, lives like most teenaged girls. She’s a happy 15-year-old. It might not have been that way if Wilder hadn’t worked one odd job after another long before he imagined becoming a heavyweight champion.

In 2009, Ortiz fled Cuba on a perilous journey across unpredictable Caribbean waters and finally to the United States, all in search of the treatment his daughter, then 4-year-old Lismercedes, needed for a skin condition, epidermolysis bullosa. It can cause rashes and blisters.

They are rivals and dads who understand why the other fights and why they are fighting each other.

Luis Ortiz and rival Deontay Wilder have bonded over health issues faced by their daughters. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

“I grew a great bond with Ortiz the first time, with his child and my child,’’ Wilder (41-0-1, 40 knockouts) said in a recent conference call while talking about his respect for Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs). “So, I know personally how hard it is and how much it takes to take care of a child with a disorder. It takes a lot of money and it takes a lot of care. So I grew a great bond with him.

“I have seen him as one of the top guys in the heavyweight division. And I want to bless him … for not only … being a great warrior, one of the best in the world, but also for his family.’’

As opening bell approaches, however, each dad promises to knock out the other. Wilder knocked out Ortiz in 10 rounds on March 3 of last year.

“I have plans to finish all of this before the final bell ends,’’ Ortiz said at a media workout at his Las Vegas’ training camp. “But if I need to go the distance, I’m also ready to reach the end of the fight.”

Wilder is bolder about what he intends to do.

“I see this fight going one way and that’s Deontay Wilder knocking out Luis Ortiz, point blank and period,’’ Wilder said. “You know it. He knows it. I know it.’’

As dads, however, they both go the distance.

Luis Ortiz: I’ll be ready for anything Deontay Wilder brings this time

Luis Ortiz suggested that he’ll be better prepared for Deontay Wilder’s unpredictable style when they meet a second time on Saturday.

Deontay Wilder calls them tactics. Luis Ortiz calls them antics.

Whatever they are, Ortiz promises to be ready for them in their heavyweight-title rematch  Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I think that some of the things that Wilder did and the antics that Wilder does could be dealt with differently this time around,’’ Ortiz said through a translator in a recent conference call to promote the sequel to his 10th-round knockout loss to Wilder in March of last year. “…You absolutely never know what Wilder is going to do as far as how he approaches his fights.

“But one thing for sure is that, both mentally and physically, I’m at my best and prepared. So he can bring whatever he is going to bring. No problem.’’

Ortiz (31-1, 26 knockouts) was educated in the Cuban school of classic boxing skill. Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) is all about power. His right hand is today’s most dangerous punch. In terms of history, his right is a classic finisher, an emphatic end to 40 of his 42 fights. It can land from anywhere and at any time, often a sudden strike out of a storm of chaos.

Call it Classic vs. Chaos.

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Trainer Herman Caicedo believes Ortiz’s fundamental skill set can dictate pace and be the difference in the rematch if he can sustain what he does throughout 12 rounds.

“I think the best thing that was going our way was him boxing – getting behind a good jab, and just beating him to the punch and not allowing Wilder to just get crazy with his antics and come out swinging, wailing away,’’ Caicedo said of the first fight, in which Wilder was in deep trouble in a memorable seventh round.

The difference this time, Caicedo said, rests in being “a little bit better on the technical side and on the basics’’ throughout the fight.

“But, again,” Caicedo added, “like Luis just said, it’s very difficult with (Wilder) sometimes, because he’ll spin around and hit you with a back fist. So it’s like you never know what could happen.’’

Ortiz’s conditioning might be a key. He got tired in the first fight, especially in the 10th when Wilder’s predatory power finished his fatigued opponent.

Caicedo is confident that a better-conditioned Ortiz will finish Ortiz.

“He has dedicated 12 weeks in Las Vegas to a camp, and he has really given everything that he obviously couldn’t the first time around,’’ Ortiz’s trainer said. “So, at the end of the day, it’s 1000 percent he will be there. He is a much superior boxer, fighter, thinker and has the experience.

“Wilder has the experience over (nine) defenses but Luis has experience over a history of fighting since he was 10 years old. So that’s going to make all the difference when it comes down to all things being equal in condition.’’

 

Deontay Wilder: Give me credit for thinking through adversity

Deontay Wilder said he used his wits to overcome a rocky seventh round in his first fight with Luis Ortiz.

Ring IQ is a term never seen anywhere near Deontay Wilder’s name. His right hand has been all the IQ he has ever needed. He throws it. It lands. It’s over. It’s a pretty simple formula. The proof rests in his astonishing record. Forty-two fights, 40 stoppages. Brilliant, no matter how you calculate it.

Yet Wilder says he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for thinking through adversity.

Example: A rocky seventh round in his victory over Luis Ortiz in their first fight on March 3, 2018 in Brooklyn.

“Yes, I remember getting buzzed,’’ Wilder said in a conference call this week for their rematch on November 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But the buzz didn’t cloud his thinking, Wilder said. He bluffed, he said, but then thought better of it as Ortiz came after him. Wilder said he knew he had to maintain a safe distance, which meant staying close enough to eliminate the leverage Ortiz needed to deliver a finishing blow. For the round’s remaining 40 seconds, that’s what he did, allowing the heavyweight champion to go on to win by a 10th-round stoppage.

“I didn’t get no credit for the intellect that I had in the ring coming around in the seventh round,’’ Wilder said. “So I knew what I was doing and when the bell rung. You can see I knew exactly where I was. I went right back to my corner and I still was talking (expletive) going back there, too.’’

Wilder said he was never hurt in the pivotal round.

“I think people use hurt too much,’’ Wilder said. “They throw that (around) too much because they don’t understand the difference between buzzed and hurt. I advise anybody, if you are in boxing and you want to talk about boxing, experience some of things that we go through. Go in the ring, get hit and see what it feels like to get buzzed or maybe even get knocked out.

“But I understood everything that was going on with me. I was coaching myself internally. My inner voice was telling myself to keep going.’’

Ringside pundits didn’t see what was happening, Wilder said.

“I didn’t want to waste any unnecessary energy, because I wanted to be able to recover,’’ he said. “So,I didn’t want to use that much energy, and so that’s why I hit him anywhere I could, no matter where. It was so that the referee could understand that I’m very active. I’m aware and I can still fight. I don’t think I got enough credit for that.’’

Deontay Wilder building impressive legacy of consistency

Deontay Wilder’s nine successful defenses during a single title reign equals three greats at No. 6 on the all-time list.

The first word you might think of when Deontay Wilder is mentioned is power. Another word might also be appropriate: longevity.

Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko brothers became known for their consistency over an extended period of time and Wilder is beginning to build the same sort of legacy. Wilder outpointed Bermane Stiverne to win his heavyweight title in January 2015 – close to five years ago – and has successfully defended nine times, including his draw with Tyson Fury last December.

That figure – nine successful defenses by a heavyweight titleholder in a single reign – equals Joe Frazier, Lewis and Vitali Klitschko at No. 6 on the all-time list. If Wilder beats Luis Ortiz in their rematch on Nov. 23, he will pull into a tie with Muhammad Ali at No. 5.

Before Lewis, you have to go back to the early 1980s to find such numbers. Larry Holmes made 16 consecutive successful defenses during a single reign between 1978 and 1983.

Wilder has successfully defended his title against Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, Stiverne, Ortiz, Fury and Dominic Breazeale.

Here is the Top 10 (number of successful defenses in a single reign):

1. Joe Louis – 26
2. Larry Holmes – 19
3. Wladimir Klitschko – 18
4. Tommy Burns – 11
5. Muhammad Ali – 10
6T. Joe Frazier – 9
Lennox Lewis – 9
Vitali Klitschko – 9
Deontay Wilder – 9
10. Jack Johnson – 8

Joe Louis’ records for number of successful title defenses seem safe. U.S. Army via AP

Of course, Wilder, who has had only one reign as titleholder, is lower on the list of total successful defenses. Here’s that Top 10:

1. Joe Louis – 26
2. Wladimir Klitschko – 23
3. Muhammad Ali – 19
4. Larry Holmes – 19
5T. Lennox Lewis – 13
Vitali Klitschko – 13
7. Mike Tyson – 9
8T. Joe Frazier – 9
Deontay Wilder – 9
10. Evander Holyfield – 7