Luis Ortiz says Deontay Wilder is 'the best heavyweight of this millennium' and punches so hard, so crisp, it's like the crack of a whip

Wilder and Ortiz fought once before when, in 2018, the 40-year-old Cuban gave a good account of himself with his southpaw stance, probing jab, and counter left hand.
Ortiz, though, was eventually dropped and stopped in the 10th round.
In Saturday's rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Ortiz is confident he can capitalize on the flaws in Wilder's approach, and secure the million dollar paydays that would have instead headed the American's way against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Andy Ruiz Jr.
"I'm going to give it my all," he told us. "I'm going to leave my soul in the ring"
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Luis Ortiz says Deontay Wilder is "the best heavyweight of this millennium" and punches so hard and so crisp that it's like the crack of a whip.

Ortiz fights Wilder for the second time at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 23, having provided good opposition in their first fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, last year.

The 40-year-old Cuban, with his southpaw stance, probing jab, and counter left hand, won rounds off of Wilder in their WBC heavyweight world title fight, but was eventually dropped and stopped in the 10th.

Ortiz knows better than most what Wilder can do in a moment's notice, something the American is all too happy to say himself, telling Business Insider this week that because of his ferocious power, his opponents need to be on point, fully focused, and boxing clever for each and every minute of a 12 round fight.

Wilder, in contrast, only has to be perfect for the second it takes to hammer home a ramrod right hand, leaving his opponent crumpled on the canvas, concussed, he said.

"His right hand is more powerful then one could imagine," Ortiz told Business Insider, perhaps reflecting on the three knockdowns he suffered in their first bout. "His power is like a whip type of punch, like Thomas Hearns. He's got long arms ya know."

Wilder has had to fight long and hard for respect in the fight game and was still being called terrible by the former boxer Tony Bellew and the British fight promoter Eddie Hearn as recently as 2018.

"Every fighter has flaws but it is the ones who capitalize on those flaws that become great," Ortiz said. "That's what I'm going to try to do."

Ortiz even said that he sees Wilder's accomplishments an unbeaten heavyweight with 40 knockouts from 41 wins with one draw, one win away from 10 successful world title defenses as being superior to those of Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko, and Vitali Klitschko.

"Wilder is the best heavyweight of this millennium [and] deserves everything he gets, he's earned that in the ring."

As for the fight, Ortiz is well aware that boxing's heavyweight division is open, alive, and that victory opens million dollar pathways to Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Andy Ruiz Jr.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in this position, and I'm going to give it my all. I want everyone to know that I'm going to leave my soul in the ring, and that my hands will be flying."

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