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.
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.”