LUIS ORTIZ

LUISORTIZ“KING KONG”

• WINS 33

• LOSSES 2

• DRAWS 0

• KOS 28

WEIGHT 240  lbs(109.09  kg)

HEIGHT 6'4"(1.93  m)

REACH 78"(198  cm)

• BORN

  MARCH 29, 1979 

• AGE

  43

• COUNTRY

  CUBA

• BORN IN

  CAMAGUEY 

• TRAINS IN

  MIAMI, FL

• STANCE

  SOUTHPAW

• ROUNDS BOXED

  168

• KO PERCENTAGE

  75.68%

• BOXING HERO

•  

Fighter data provided by BoxRec Ltd. View disclaimer

LUIS ORTIZ BIO

One of the greatest Cuban heavyweights of all time, heavy-handed southpaw Luis Ortiz remains one of the most feared men in his division as he becomes to become the first ever Cuban Heavyweight Champion.

FIGHTING WITH PURPOSE

Cuban-born heavyweight Luis Ortiz was born on March 29, 1979 (39-years-old). He began boxing to support his daughter, who was born with a rare medical skin condition (Epidermolysis bullosa).

Ortiz defected in 2009 to get proper treatment for daughter. Was able to bring wife Lisdey, who was eight-months pregnant at the time, and daughter Lismercedes, 30 months later.

Ortiz currently lives and trains in Miami, with Herman Caicedo, as one of the most feared fighters in the heavyweight division.

 Ortiz turned pro in February 2010 with a first round stoppage of Lamar Davis. “King Kong” lived up to his moniker, winning 12 of first 14 pro fights by stoppage.

Ortiz’s finest win occurred December 19, 2015, when he stopped former world title challenger Bryant Jennings in the seventh round to win an interim heavyweight title. In his previous bout, Jennings had gone the distance versus then-heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko.

Ortiz followed that up with wins over Tony Thompson, Malik Scott and David Allen in 2016, before knocking out Daniel Martz in 2017. 

Wilder vs. Ortiz 1: March 3, 2018 (SHOWTIME Sports)

A NEAR-UPSET

On March 3, 2018, Ortiz challenged WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder in one of the year’s most memorable fights. Wilder dropped Ortiz in the fifth but the Cuban escaped further trouble and mounted a rally. 

He had Wilder badly hurt in the seventh round, after clipping him with a right hook and then a straight left moments later. Wilder was seconds away from being stopped when the bell rang. Ortiz won the round 10-8 on all three scorecards. Ultimately, Wilder gathered himself and stopped Ortiz in the tenth. 

Ortiz returned to the ring in July 2018 with a second-round knockout victory over Razvan Cojanu. He then stopped Travis Kauffman in the 10th-round of their December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In March 2019, Ortiz comfortably outpointed Christian Hammer over 10 rounds, setting up the anticipated rematch versus Wilder on November 23, 2019, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on FOX Sports pay-per-view. Again Ortiz got off to a hot start, but the champion's vaunted right hand found paydirt in the seventh, dropping Ortiz and putting him away in that frame.

"This is boxing,” said Ortiz, who slammed his glove against the top rope after the fight in frustration. “I said that one of us was going to get knocked out and it wasn't going to go 12 rounds. I was clear headed when I hit the canvas. When I heard the referee say seven, I was trying to get up, but I guess the count went a little quicker than I thought.”

Ortiz would bounce back on November 7, 2020, when he took on Alexander Flores in a FOX PBC Fight Night main event. Flores was no match for the Cuban heavyweight, who knocked him out in the first round with a body shot. 

“I’m happy I won, and I did prepare to go rounds," said Ortiz. "This guy (Flores) went three rounds with Joseph Parker and fought back, he went four rounds with Charles Martin and fought back. There’s no excuse. Those other guys needed rounds to stop him. I want Andy Ruiz.

“He needs a fight, and it makes sense. I prepared for a championship-level fight, and the new conditioning paid off, because I felt more athletic and more explosive.”

Ortiz vs. Martin: January 1, 2022 (PBC FOX Sports PPV)

AS DANGEROUS AS EVER

On January 1, 2022, Ortiz headlined a FOX Sports pay-per-view against former heavyweight champion Charles Martin at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The fight exceeded high expectations as both southpaws gave as good as they got.

In the first, a big left hand from Martin dropped Ortiz to a knee. The savvy Cuban rose and worked his way back into the fight only to be floored again, this time in the fourth by a hard right jab. 

Then in the sixth round, Ortiz landed the left hand that ultimately decided the fight, connecting on a counter that immediately dazed Martin, who looked potentially out on his feet. Ortiz quickly followed up with a flurry and scored the knockdown, leaving Martin with his glove tied up in the ropes.
 
Martin was able to rise to his feet and looked to hold on with over two minutes left in the round, but Ortiz was relentless in his attack and eventually forced referee Frank Santore Jr. to wave off the bout 1:37 into round six. Despite trailing on all three scorecards coming into the final round, Ortiz landed an impressive 57 percent of his power punches in the fight, including 19 of 23 in round six, according to CompuBox.
 
"I maintained faith the entire time,” said Ortiz. “I knew I had my family and these fans behind me. I told everyone that this fight would be fireworks. He knocked me down, but then I finished him. I respect him a lot and now I’m coming after every heavyweight in line for the title.”

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