Deontay Wilder to fight Luis Ortiz in fall as Joshua showdown remains on hold
The long-awaited title unification fight between Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua won’t be happening in 2019.
Wilder, the heavy-handed Alabaman who’s held the WBC’s version of the fractured heavyweight championship since 2015, announced Tuesday evening that he’s signed a contract to fight a rematch with Cuban slugger Luis Ortiz in the fall, dashing all short-term hopes for the hotly anticipated four-belt summit meeting with Joshua only four days before the Briton defends his WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden.
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The date and site of the fight have yet to be announced, but early rumblings indicate it will take place on 7 or 28 September in either Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs), who turns 34 in October, is coming off a sensational first-round knockout of mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale earlier this month.
Afterward the Olympic bronze medalist addressed the potential superfights on offer in the division, including a rematch with Tyson Fury of their controversial split draw in December and the showdown with Joshua – perhaps the best fight that can be made in any division today – assuring fans they were imminent.
Wilder v Ortiz II 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
To all my fans,
I want to announce that Luis Ortiz and I have signed for a rematch, with the date and site to be announced shortly.
All my controversial fights
Must get dealt with ASAP‼️#BombZquad pic.twitter.com/RZs7vLEhaj— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) May 28, 2019
Wilder and Ortiz first met last year in an entertaining scrap at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center which saw the American overcome his toughest moments as a professional to that point before finishing matters with a 10th-round knockout.
