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 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.”
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.”
Boxing betting odds surrounding the Wilder vs. Ortiz WBC title rematch.
Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz II takes place on Saturday, November 23 and will air on Pay-Per-View which begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
In the main event, we will see boxing’s longest-reigning heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder defending his WBC title in a rematch against once-beaten Cuban slugger Luis “King Kong” Ortiz.
In the co-main event, we will see three-division champion Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz who seeks a title in another division when he takes on Miguel “El Michoacan” Flores for the WBA Super Featherweight Championship.
The fight card also features undefeated rising star Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa making the first defense of his WBA Super Bantamweight Title against former champion Julio Ceja while undefeated Mexican power-puncher Luis Nery battles Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodríguez in a matchup of former bantamweight champions.
Per BetMGM, “The Bronze Bomber” is sitting at -500 while his opponent “King Kong” is at +333. The oddsmakers have “El Terremoto” at -10000 and his opponent “El Michoacan” at +1400. Also on the betting lines, we have “The Heartbreaker” at -358 and his opponent “El Michoacan” at +275. Are you new to sports betting? Then these numbers can help you out to make that crucial decision.
Wilder vs. Ortiz II Fight Card
Main Card
(Pay-Per-View, 9 p.m. ET)
Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz (heavyweight)
Leo Santa Cruz vs Miguel Flores (super featherweight)
Brandon Figueroa vs Julio Ceja (super bantamweight)
Undercard
(PBC on FOX Youtube, 4:10 p.m. ET)
Luis Nery vs Emmanuel Rodriguez (bantamweight)
Leduan Barthelemy vs Eduardo Ramirez (super featherweight)
Jerry Perez vs Mark John Yap (super featherweight)
Viktor Slavinskyi vs Rigoberto Hermosillo (super featherweight)
Arnold Alejandro vs TBA (lightweight)
Omar Juarez vs Kevin Shacks (super lightweight)
Jose Manuel Gomesz vs Daniel Placeres (super featherweight)
Angel Alejanadro vs TBA (featherweight)
Shon Mondragon vs TBA (super bantamweight)
Vito Mielnicki Jr vs Marklin Bailey (welterweight)
Marsellos Wilder vs Dustin Long (cruiserweight)
*The fight card is subject to change without notice
Want action on any of these bouts? Sign up and bet at BetMGM.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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 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.’’
Brian Kenny will take up the play-by-play role for Fox’s upcoming PPV broadcast of the heavyweight title fight, Wilder-Ortiz II.
If only the fighters could move as freely between networks.
Fox’s pay-per-view show featuring the heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz on Saturday will include a different – but familiar – voice on the broadcast.
Veteran Brian Kenny, who currently works for rival streaming platform DAZN, will assume the blow-by-blow role alongside analysts Joe Goossen and Lennox Lewis, according to a release.
Fox normally rotates between Chris Myers and Kenny Albert for its blow-by-blow duties but both of them are tied up with NFL assignments, according to a member of Fox’s PR team.
By bringing in Kenny, who also works for the MLB Network, Fox gets a familiar name with a deep boxing background.
Kenny worked on a few PBC on Fox broadcasts from 2015 to 2017. He also has done boxing work for ESPN.
