Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz weigh-in: Wilder 219½, Ortiz 236½

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz on Friday weighed 219½ and 236½, respectively, for Saturday’s fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Deontay Wilder was expected to be a little heavier in the rematch than he was in his first fight with Luis Ortiz, Ortiz a little lighter. And that’s how it played out.

Wilder on Friday weighed 219½ pounds, almost five pounds more than he weighed when they fought in Mach of last year. Ortiz, who reportedly trained like a mad man, weighed 236½. That’s almost five less than he weighed in the first fight.

They meet again Saturday at the MGM Grand on Fox Pay-Per-View.

Wilder, who stopped Ortiz in 10 rounds the first time around, doesn’t think the weight will make much of a difference.

“He knows what happened the first time. He knows what will happen the second time,” Wilder said on the stage moments after weighing in.

Wilder weighed 223 for his last fight, a first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale in May. Ortiz weighed 238¾ against Christian Hammer in March, when Ortiz won by a wide decision.

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In other fights, Leo Santa Cruz and Miguel Flores weighed 129½ and the limit of 130, respectively, for their junior lightweight title fight. Santa Cruz is attempting to win a title in a fourth division.

In a scheduled junior featherweight bout, Julio Ceja weighed 126½, way over the 122-pound limit. His opponent, Brandon Figueroa, weighed 122. It wasn’t clear how officials intended to proceed.

And, in a bantamweight title eliminator, Luis Nery weighed 119, a pound over the limit. He had a few hours to lose the extra weight. His opponent, Emmanuel Rodriguez, weighed 118.

How to watch Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz II on pay-per-view

Deontay Wilder will put his heavyweight title on the line in a rematch with Luis Ortiz on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Here’s how to watch.

Undefeated heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will put his title on the line in a highly anticipated rematch with Luis Ortiz Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Wilder defeated Ortiz by a 10th-round TKO in their first fight 19 months ago, but Ortiz has won his last three fights and has the power to end the bout in a single punch.

Watch Wilder v. Ortiz II LIVE on Pay-Per-View

The Wilder vs. Ortiz II pay-per-view will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 23. You can order the PPV online here for $74.99.

Wilder vs. Ortiz II can be streamed via the Fox Sports app on the App Store or Google Play, on your TV via Roku, Xbox One, Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV, or on your computer or smart devices via FoxSports.com.

There are three other fights on the undercard:

Leo Santa Cruz (36-1-1) vs. Miguel Flores (24-2) for a junior lightweight title; Luis Nery (30-0) vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1) in a bantamweight fight; and Brandon Figueroa (20-0) vs. Julio Ceja (32-4) in a junior bantamweight bout.

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Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz odds: Wilder is about a 4-1 favorite

Deontay Wilder (-500) is a heavy favorite to defeat Luis Ortiz (+333) in their rematch Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz square off in a rematch for Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with the card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET. / 6 p.m. PT.

Wilder-Ortiz: What you need to know

Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 40 knockouts) puts his nearly unblemished record on the line in a title rematch bout on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View. Wilder has seen 98 percent of his victories come via the knockout, including a 10th-round KO of Ortiz in March of last year at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It nearly went another way, as Ortiz was working him over with heavy, sustained damage in the seventh. However, Wilder showed his champion mettle by pulling himself out of the fire and rebounding with a knockout of his own in an epic bout.

For Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs), that remains the only setback in his 32-bout career. Since that right uppercut dropped him from the ranks of the unbeaten, he has taken out his aggression on Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman in knockouts before picking up a decision victory against Christian Hammer.

Now, he gets another chance to get all the way on top. He cited problems with his cardio as the reason he petered out in the last bout against Wilder, as he expended a lot of energy in the seventh round trying to drop Wilder.

Wilder-Ortiz odds, picks, tips and best bets

Deontay Wilder celebrates moments after defeating Dominic Breazeale by knockout in the first round. Sarah Stier / USA TODAY Sports

Per BetMGM, Wilder (-500) is the heavy favorite over Ortiz (+333) on the 3-way betting line, with a Draw (+2500) also a choice. It isn’t a good choice, though.

If you were to look for lighting to strike twice, with a Wilder knockout in Round 10 (+1400), that pays rather handsomely. However, individual round betting is not a great investment. Instead, look to Round Group Betting, where Wilder to win in Rounds 9-12 (+500) pays fairly well.

If you like Wilder for the KO/TKO/Technical Decision or DQ victory, BetMGM has him listed as a rather heavy favorite at -334, with a win on points at +650 rather tempting. However, most talking heads expect a knockout, and Wilder’s track record suggests the same. BetMGM has a special prop bet for those looking for the victory via KO or TKO, too.

If you feel the fight will go 12 rounds, with either fighter winning on points (+450), you can do fairly well, but it isn’t a recommended wager.

Are you new to sports betting? A $10 wager on Wilder straight up at -500 to win outright pays just a $2.00 profit.

I personally prefer Group Betting, with the fight won in Rounds 7-12 (+150), while doubling down on Wilder in Rounds 7-12 (+188). If both of those things come through on a $100 wager, it pays a respectable $269. Sign me up.

If you want some action on this title bout or other boxing matches, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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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 10^th 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.”

Oscar Valdez Jr. wants Miguel Berchelt if he wins on Nov. 30

Oscar Valdez Jr. is moving up to 130 pounds to face Andres Gutierrez on Nov. 30 but has his sights set on Miguel Berchelt.

Oscar Valdez Jr. is adding a few pounds and some very big aspirations in pursuit of a second division title.

The former 126-pound champion is moving up to 130 to face Andres Gutierrez (38-2-1, 25 knockouts) on Nov. 30 at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on ESPN+, a fight Valdez hopes is a springboard to an immediate showdown with junior lightweight titleholder Miguel Berchelt.

“If we go out the way we want, with the hand held high after this fight, I think we already deserve the position to face Berchelt,’’ Valdez said Monday during a question-and-answer session with media in Los Angeles.

Valdez (26-0, 20 KOs) doesn’t plan to waste any time at the new weight. Berchelt is considered the best of the current 130-pound class. He has made six successful title defenses, just three short of Julio Cesar Chavez’s record.

“In that division, the goal is to fight him,’’ Valdez said. “He is the boxer to beat.’’

The boxer to fear, too.

Oscar Valdez has had a lot to celebrate in his career but is looking for more worlds to conquer. Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Berchelt has power and a presence. He is often mentioned as a possible opponent for current lightweight champion and pound-for-pound leader Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Valdez has never backed away from a big risk. His fearless streak was oh-so evident against Scott Quigg on a rainy night on March 3, 2018 in Carson, California. Quigg failed to make the featherweight limit but Valdez decided to fight anyway. Quigg busted his jaw. Valdez lost a lot of blood and spent several days getting his meals through a straw after his mouth was wired shut in surgery. But he won the fight, scoring a unanimous decision over the bigger Quigg.

It was a sure sign of his courage.

And his determination.

“If I had to retire tomorrow I would not be happy with my career,’’ said Valdez, a two-time Mexican Olympian who was born in the Mexican border town of Nogales but went to school in Tucson. “I think there is much to achieve , and some of that is to go up and win another title.”

Valdez will be fighting for the third time with Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, in his corner.

“More than anything, I am grateful to him that he opened the doors for me,’’ said Valdez, who had worked with Manny Robles, heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.’s trainer. “He has a lot of work with Canelo. At first, we doubted if he would have enough time. But on the contrary, we have spent Christmas together.

“I have learned a lot with Eddy Reynoso, and I will demonstrate it in my next fight. In boxing, you never stop learning.”

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 10^th.

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.

DAZN’s Brian Kenny to do blow-by-blow for Wilder-Ortiz II PPV

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.