Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, nearly knocked out and out on his feet in the seventh round, held on for dear life, then came back three rounds later and knocked out Cuban slugger Luis Ortiz with an onslaught of powerful right hands Saturday night before 14,069 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Wilder retained his WBC belt and remained undefeated at 40-0 (39 KOs).
Ortiz, 38, suffered the first loss of his career, as his record fell to 28-1 (24 KOs).
Wilder agreed that this was the signature victory he badly needed.
"Most definitely," Wilder said. "Luis Ortiz was a champion that everyone ducked. I wondered why it took him so long to get a title shot, and now we know the reason why.
"He put up a great fight, he was a great contender and my hat goes off to him. Me and him had a lot in common. His daughter suffered with something and my daughter suffered with something. Two fathers in the ring fighting for our daughters. You don't get no better than that."
Ortiz was disappointed on how close he came to winning but knew how dangerous Wilder could be.
"I was adhering to the directions my corner was giving me, and in this sport, any punch could end the fight," said Ortiz.
Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) hopes his victory gets him a shot at unifying all four major heavyweight belts against the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker unification bout on March 31 in Cardiff, Wales.
"I'm ready whenever those guys are. My goal is to unify and it seems like they are not in a rush to fight me," Wilder said. "Because I am the most dangerous and the baddest man on the planet, and this solidifies my position at the top of the food chain. Soon there will be one champion . . . and he goes by the name of Deontay Wilder."
Here is a round-by-round update of the long-awaited main event.
Round 1: Wilder comes in looking much trimmer than Ortiz, the lightest of his career at under 215 pounds. Ortiz, the southpaw, pursues Wilder, who is jabbing. Ortiz pressures Wilder, landing combinations.Wilder's herky-jerky motions with his head make him look very wary of Ortiz's power. Wilder going for jabs to the body. A counter left hand by Ortiz lands. He lands another left. First round is over. Ortiz was the busier fighter and connected more often. Round to Ortiz.
Round 2: Wilder has not thrown a right yet. Ortiz throws a left that misses and he goes to a knee he swung so hard. Ortiz blocks a Wilder right. Wilder may be waiting for Ortiz to tire, but the Cuban lands a hard left on Wilder. Wilder lands a counter right hand but does little damage. Close round, but I give it to Ortiz. 2-0. Crowd is booing the lack of action.
Round 3: Wilder misses with a wild right and Ortiz misses with a left. Wilder can't seem to get inside to Ortiz to land anything. Stays with the jab. Ortiz keeping his guard up. Great combo by Wilder scores. Ortiz misses with a left, and Wilder misses with a wild right at the bell. Hard round to score, but Wilder's slick combo wins it for him. 2-1 Ortiz.
Round 4: Right by Wilder lands on Ortiz, and his reach advantage is keeping Ortiz away. Another right by Wilder. Left by Ortiz lands then Ortiz lands a combo. Ortiz throws a left and right and Wilder pushes him off. Not a lot of action, but Ortiz was the aggressor. I give him the round. 3-1 Ortiz.
Round 5: Wilder trying to establish his jab but is having a tough time. Wilder misses with a wild right and Ortiz counters with a combination. Wilder having a tough time getting punches off. Wilder lands a short right hand. Uppercut by Wilder misses, and Wilder lands a right that drops Ortiz for the second time in his career near the bell. 10-8 round for Wilder. Wow!
Round 6: Wild action ensues and both fighters going for it with full power shots. Wilder goes with another shot that lands. Ortiz counters with a left hand. Wild exchange near the end of round 6. Both fighters are going for the knockout now. Crowd cheering. Wilder wins the round.
Round 7: Fighters exchange jabs to start the round, Ortiz lands a powerful right hook that stuns Wilder. Ortiz going for the KO but Wilder holds on. He's in trouble, out on his feet. What a round for Ortiz. Wilder barely escapes hitting the canvas as he staggers back to his corner. 10-8 round for Ortiz.
Round 8: Ortiz goes in for the kill, but Wilder counters with a right hand. Wilder backs up. Ortiz dancing around, looking much fresher. Lands a right to the body. Wilder still in big trouble. Left by Ortiz slams Wilder to the ropes. Ortiz's boxing skills are showing here. Another shot to the body by Ortiz ends the round. Another round for Ortiz.
Round 9: Ortiz is by far the toughest foe Wilder has faced. A real boxer-puncher. Wilder pulling back, seemingly afraid to get hit. Wilder misses a wild right. Ortiz lands a big left, but Wilder counters with a stiff jab. Wilder staggers Ortiz with a right hand, and goes after him near the bell. He hits Ortiz after the bell but the referee does nothing. Wilder wins the round.
Round 10: Ortiz continues to land a high percentage of his power punches. Wilder counters. Then the 6-7 power puncher puts Ortiz down with a combination of left and rights, as Ortiz gets to his feet to beat the 10 count. Wilder, smelling blood, comes back and lands a vicious right uppercut, Ortiz crumples to the canvas, hanging on the ropes, and it's over. Referee David Fields stops it at 2:05 of the 10th. Wilder wins by technical knockout after nearly being KO'd himself. What an ending! What a momentum swing! What a finish for Wilder.
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