In the final pre-fight press conference inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, World Heavyweight title holder Deontay Wilder and title contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz came to a consensus that their upcoming heavyweight bout will be concluded in a knockout.
“This fight will not go the distance, so get your popcorn, go get your pizza, go to the bathroom. Make sure you’re by somebody who’s not going to disturb you. Don’t drop your cellphone. Put it in your pocket because you don’t want to be the one who drops it and then looks up and says, ‘What happened?’ because it can happen just like that,” said Wilder. “He has to be perfect for 12 rounds. I only have to be perfect for two seconds and — bam, baby, good night!”
Ortiz too responded with the same message but in a more humble manner. “This is not going 12 rounds. Either he knocks me out or I knock him out, and I wish there was no bell between rounds so we could just keep going,” said Ortiz as translated by his interpreter.
Both fighters first met in the squared ring back in March 2018 where Wilder came out on top with a devastating 10th round knockout win over Ortiz, and Wilder is willing to hand Ortiz a second opportunity to fight for the heavyweight title as no other fighters in the division are willing to fight Ortiz.
“Luis Ortiz is one of the best in the world and one of the most dangerous men in boxing, period. That’s why no one in the top 10 has given him an opportunity,” said Wilder. “They call him old, but the logic of it doesn’t make sense, because if he’s old, that’s easy, you should get in there with him. Should be no fear at all if he’s so old. But in reality they know what they’re facing.”
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds on November 23, 2019 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and it is expected to start at approximately 12am ET (Nov 24, 1pm GST+8), depending on the length of the earlier fights.