The two fighters who are on Anthony Joshua’s hit list will fight each other first before having a go at the number one heavyweight champion.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reports that Luis Ortiz will challenge Deontay Wilder for the WBC World heavyweight championship belt on November 4th at the Barclays Center in New York.
“Multiple sources close to both Wilder and Ortiz confirmed the match to Yahoo Sports. Wilder promoter Lou DiBella would not confirm the bout, but he did not deny it. ‘Wait until you see what Deontay is up to,’ said DiBella, who according to the New York State Athletic Commission’s schedule has reserved Nov. 4 at the Barclays Center,” writes Iole.
Wilder has also tweeted about the fight.
You see @kingkongboxing and NYC don't Mix, for we all know what happened to KING KONG when them #BombZquad cannons hit. pic.twitter.com/0fRrZMiNyX
— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) September 12, 2017
Meanwhile, Ortiz’s official management account on Twitter took a little jab at Wilder.
4 TIMES DEONTAY WILDER GOT ROCKED! | BoxerVisionHD https://t.co/w4zH2VeuDf via @YouTube
— KING KONG BOXING (@kingkongboxing) September 12, 2017
One source close to Wilder has revealed the reason why the WBC champ wants to fight now.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ has not yet fought any current big name opponents during his career. He knows the Joshua fight is possible but not for a long time. Wilder wanted a big fight and he wanted it now. The next best thing is to fight the WBA mandatory challenger, Luis Ortiz.
“One source said the bout is happening because Wilder realized he won’t get a match with IBF-WBA champion Anthony Joshua any time soon and he wanted to fight the best opposition possible to build his case with the public,” wrote Iole.
Ortiz and Wilder combine a massive record of 65-0 with 60 knockouts so it’s safe to say: expect fireworks on November 4th.
The one man they are both after, Joshua, has also commented on the fight and spoke about his future fight against Wilder.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when. Because he’s [Wilder] been a pro since 2009 and let’s say Wilder retired today, there’s not a fight that he’d probably say: ‘man that fight was phenomenal,’ there’s not a stand-out fight. So he’s waiting for that stand-out fight and it seems like they’ve pinned me up to be that guy so he’s waiting for me and I’ll get there soon or later,” said Joshua according to The Sun.
It’s expected that they will fight in early 2018 or in the summer.
“So Wilder be patient, I hope he continues to win and I’ll continue to play my part to build towards it – a good heavyweight showdown,” summarised Joshua.
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