LAS VEGAS – Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder made a bold statement after his breathtaking one-punch knockout of Luis Ortiz in their rematch Saturday at the MGM Grand: “I am the hardest … puncher in boxing history. Period.”
Of course, that can’t be quantified but he definitely is building a case for himself.
Start with his knockout ratio: 42 victims, 41 knockouts. That means Wilder (42-0-1) has scored a knockout in 98 percent his victories, an all-time record. Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Joe Louis, who are often cited as the biggest punchers of all time, had KO percentages of 92, 89 and 79 percent, respectively.
One could argue that those legends stopped better opposition but it’s not as if Wilder is avoiding anyone. Ortiz is a good fighter and Wilder has now stopped him twice. Also, a rematch with Tyson Fury, who went the distance with Wilder, and possible showdowns with Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua await.
And the way Wilder has tended to end fights – with one monstrous shot – stays with those who witness it, enhancing Wilder’s reputation as a knockout artist. The final blows seem to come out of nowhere, which makes them particularly chilling.
That was the case on Saturday. The possibility of a big shot is always there for Wilder but he gave no indication that it was coming against Ortiz, who was leading on all three cards (59-55, 59-55 and 58-56) after six rounds.
Everyone watching the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz fight had to be thinking that same thing at that point: Wilder was digging himself into a deep hole. If he couldn’t stop Ortiz, he was in danger of losing a decision.
One person not concerned? Wilder.
“To be honest I never worry about if I’m losing a fight or not,” he said. “I’m blessed with something that these other guys aren’t blessed with, that’s tremendous power. I know that when I hit guys, it hurts them. When you have power like I have, you’re not worried about if you’re winning rounds or not. I don’t want that to be in my mind … because I don’t want my mind to be cloudy thinking about rounds.
“Most of the time these guys win rounds on me anyway. I know that sooner or later it’s going to come. And when it comes, good night.”
As we know, the scorecards were irrelevant in the end. Wilder positioned himself as arm’s length in the final seconds of Round 7, saw his opening and pulled the trigger. Fight over.