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NOTES FROM THE BOXING UNDERGROUND: THE WILDER-ORTIZ HUSTLE

By Paul Magno | July 24, 2017
NOTES FROM THE BOXING UNDERGROUND: THE WILDER-ORTIZ HUSTLE

News of a potential WBC title bout between champ Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz turned a lot of heads last week and got a lot of fight fans excited about actually seeing a real world title bout from Wilder. 

It’s just too bad that Wilder-Ortiz probably has very little chance of actually happening. But more on that, later.

Arguably, Wilder hasn’t been in a “big” fight with an opponent people have cared about since he took the title from Bermane Stiverne back in January of 2015. Through five title defenses, the “Bronze Bomber” has seemed to be much more about cashing checks and padding the bank account than proving himself as a champion.

And that’s okay, to an extent. Fighters should be looking for financial security and worrying about getting as much money as humanly possible while they’re still able to make money. One punch is all it takes to end a career and nobody is lining up to help fighters pay their bills after they can no longer entertain the masses. So, yeah, I’m never going to be one of those guys who insists on fighters throwing themselves into threshing machines to prove their prizefighting nobility.

But, geez, give the fans something.

Up until now, the Wilder title reign has featured the heavy-handed champ matched lightly—and, more often than not, looking fairly unimpressive in those “challenges.”

And while Wilder has been treading water in the shallow end of the talent pool, the UK’s Anthony Joshua—a guy who was very much on the same easy-ride track as Wilder for awhile—passed him by on the road to stardom with an exciting victory over Wladimir Klitschko this past April. 

Wilder had every chance to be THE big heavyweight, but he’s so far not taken even a half-step towards that goal. Maybe the set-up of the division hasn’t presented him that opportunity to move forward (remember that a bout with Alexander Povetkin in Russia was scrapped after issues with Povetkin’s drug testing surfaced and fights with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko or Tyson Fury were never really on the table). Or maybe he IS being protected and his people know that it’s very necessary to get some money into their accounts before sending him into a real battle that he could very well lose, ala the last great American heavyweight hopeful, Seth Mitchell. Hell, maybe it’s a combination of both factors above.

But, if/when he steps into the ring against Luis Ortiz, the much-avoided and highly-dangerous Cuban import, all of that talk about Wilder just treading water becomes null and void. NOBODY is eager to face Ortiz and to do so voluntarily takes gigantic sack. Win or lose, Wilder would come away from that fight demanding a new level of respect.

Unfortunately, Wilder-Ortiz probably isn’t going to happen. Not any time soon, anyway. 

Yeah, yeah, we heard the news accounts and saw all of that trickle down to heated social media chatter. But I certainly wouldn’t book any flights to New York (Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, to be exact) with the hope of seeing this big fight, at least not until you hear clear confirmation that this one is official.

First and foremost, this fight makes absolutely no sense for Wilder or his people. Ortiz, even at 38 years of age, is the very definition of a high-risk/low-reward opponent. Beating Ortiz would do a lot for Wilder’s public image, but it won’t bring all that much more money to the table and he could very well find himself losing everything. Both his WBC belt and a future mega-money showdown with Joshua could disappear in an instant if the new Haymon Boxing stablemate, Ortiz, does the VERY possible and beats Wilder. 

So, realistically, if this is booked as a “real” fight and not some shady set-up, Team Al Haymon is putting themselves in a lose-lose by making this fight. If Wilder wins, there’s not that much of a payoff for Wilder and his people and if Ortiz wins, he’s, realistically, not one single step closer to getting a shot at Joshua or any other big money bout. Even with a Wilder win on his ledger, nobody will be earning big money to take on the risk of Luis Ortiz.

Also complicating matters is the fact that former champ, Bermane Stiverne, the WBC’s mandatory challenger is apparently dead set on keeping his turn in line and refusing step-aside money to let Ortiz go first. Nobody but nobody really wants to see Wilder-Stiverne 2, but if Stiverne is unwilling to bend, he could either force his return bout on Wilder or shove the champ into career purgatory where nobody fights anybody until the legal mess is resolved. 

Maybe I’m wrong and we hear of Wilder-Ortiz getting signed and made official soon. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong. But, for me, this Wilder-Ortiz talk sounds more like public relations chatter where Wilder gets credit for wanting to step up and Ortiz gets some good buzz for his own career, with all parties understanding that the Stiverne/WBC situation makes the fight undoable in the present tense. Then, when the fight is officially ruled impossible, both can blame that “stubborn,” “cock-blocking” Stiverne for ruining everything.

Quick (S)hits:

-- Thanks to Robert Guerrero for an honest, earnest, and entertaining career. The Ghost has officially retired at 34 years of age after recently being stopped by Omar Figueroa Jr. Guerrero always fought with honor and toughness and always delivered quality action to fans. Good luck to a good guy.

-- Apparently, Paulie Malignaggi has started sparring with Conor McGregor in preparation for the Irishman’s bout with Floyd Mayweather. Paulie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table, but this has to be considered just a nice little payday for him. Realistically, nothing Malignaggi shows McGregor will help that much. To put this into perspective, this task is a little like trying to teach LeBron James how to be an MVP-level baseball player—in just about five weeks. Nope, ain’t gonna happen. 

-- This September 2 in Chihuahua, Mexico, Carson Jones will retire Antonio Margarito for good.

Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno's Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com

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