There wasn't much action for 7 rounds. There were hardly any exchanges. And that meant there wasn't much drama, except for the question: was Deontay Wilder really going to lose by a wide decision? He was clearly behind on the cards, and hardly throwing anything other than a pawing jab.
Then it all came to a quick end for Luis Ortiz, at the end of round 7.
Here's how we scored the fight:
- Round 1: Not much action; a lot like the first fight, Ortiz is cautious due to Wilder's power, Wilder is cautious due to his own chin and nearly being stopped by Ortiz in the first fight. One exchange and a clash of heads is all that happens. 10-10
- Round 2: Ortiz had the best moment in an otherwise uneventful round. 10-9 Ortiz; 20-19
- Round 3: More of the same. Very little being done by Wilder, Ortiz is the more aggressive though not much more effective. 10-9 Ortiz; 30-28
- Round 4: Wilder lands his first right hand, but again Ortiz had the better round, with a combination that sent Wilder back and had him pounding his chest to show he wasn't hurt. 10-9 Ortiz 40-37
- Round 5: This round is even close than the previous ones, but still Ortiz was connecting a bit while Wilder is mostly missing. 10-9 Ortiz; 50-46
- Round 6: Another round to Ortiz, as he's making Wilder back up while Wilder only occasionally works the body or the jab, but misses wide with the right hand. 10-9 Ortiz; 60-55
- Round 7: Well behind on the cards certainly, Wilder is looking like he's ok with risking losing a wide decision while he specs out the kill shot. Ortiz is getting more confident, and late in this round is clearly is winning it, probably his best one yet, when BAM! suddenly Wilder connects with the right hand and Ortiz absolutely crumbles to the ground. He struggles with this mouthpiece (shades of Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas) before struggling up near the end of the count, but isn't vertical enough or aware enough to really beat the count, and he's waved off.
Wilder will move up to #2 in our Heavyweight Top 100, his highest ranking ever, and behind only #1 Tyson Fury, who he fought to a draw a year ago.
| -3 yrs |
-1 yr |
-6 mo |
Nov Rank |
Dec Rank |
Fighter |
Rating
|
Rated Record | November results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | TYSON FURY | 45.38 | 17-0-1 |  |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | DEONTAY WILDER | 41.08 | 18-0-1 | KO 7 #9 LUIS ORTIZ |
| 12 | 37 | 31 | 2 | 3 | ANDY RUIZ JR | 39.57 | 13-1-0 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ANTHONY JOSHUA | 36.63 | 15-1-0 | --last rated win -14 months. |
| 28 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | DILLIAN WHYTE | 24.91 | 12-1-0 | |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ALEX POVETKIN | 24.70 | 29-2-0 | |
| 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | JARRELL MILLER | 19.67 | 9-0-0 | --last rated win -12 months. |
| 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | KUBRAT PULEV | 18.67 | 20-1-0 | UD 10 #226 RYDELL BOOKER |
| -- | 17 | 14 | 10 | 9 | EFE AJAGBA | 16.95 | 6-0-0 | |
| 68 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | ADAM KOWNACKI | 16.31 | 9-0-0 |
Fury should be Wilder's next opponent, if everything works out. By then, the winner of the Ruiz-Joshua rematch will have vaulted to #1, and the Fury-Wilder winner will take it back.
It's really quite an exciting time in the Heavyweight division; more people should be paying attention as this mini-era will be fondly remembered one day.
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