Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) and Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs) first met in March 2018 in a competitive fight that saw Ortiz trouble Wilder several times before Wilder scored a knockout in Round 10 to remain undefeated. That fight set up Wilder's first fight with Fury, a controversial split draw. The rematch has been an obvious move for Fury and Wilder, but the journey there isn't easy. Fury was almost defeated by Otto Wallin when he suffered multiple deep cuts around his right eye. And Ortiz is no easy opponent for Wilder, and has the kind of power that could easily derail one of the most anticipated heavyweight bouts of the modern era.
Ortiz rebounded from his first career loss by picking up knockout wins over Razvan Cojanu and Travis Kauffman before decisioning Christian Hammer to set up a second shot at Wilder. The 40-year-old Cuban may not have many more shots at picking up a world championship.
In the co-main event, Brandon Figueroa (20-0, 15 KOs) puts his WBA super bantamweight title on the line for the first time when he faces Julio Ceja (32-4, 28 KOs). Figueroa won the interim version of the belt two fights ago before being promoted to the division's regular champion ahead of the showdown with Ceja. Ceja is a former champ on a two-fight losing skid, most recently dropping a decision against Guillermo Rigondeaux in June.
Also on the card, Leo Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 KOs) looks to capture world championship gold in a fourth weight class when he faces off with Miguel Flores (24-2, 12 KOs) for the vacant WBA super featherweight title. Since avenging his only career loss with a majority decision win over Carl Frampton, Santa Cruz has defeated Chris Avalos, Abner Mares and Rafael Rivera. He'll jump up in weight to face Flores, who will be challenging for a title for the first time in his career. Flores rebounded from back-to-back losses with wins over Raul Chirino and Luis May to position himself for the opportunity.
Wilder vs Ortiz 2 fight card
- WBC Heavyweight Championship -- Deontay Wilder (c) vs. Luis Ortiz
- WBA Super Bantamweight Championship -- Brandon Figueroa (c) vs. Julio Ceja
- Vacant WBA Super Featherweight Championship -- Leo Santa Cruz vs. Miguel Flores
