Luis Ortiz: 'I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world'
— -- Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury commands tremendous attention from boxing fans, but these days for all the wrong reasons -- the drug, alcohol and mental health issues that caused him to vacate his alphabet titles last month.
Former champion Wladimir Klitschko also receives enormous attention, which is no surprise given that he was world champion for nearly 10 years before losing his belts in a big upset to Fury last November.
Titleholders Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua also have plenty of the spotlight, and for good reason: They are both charismatic knockout artists with big fan bases who also talk a good game.
And then there is the 6-foot-4, 240-pound powerhouse Luis "King Kong" Ortiz, perhaps the best of all the big men but a guy who receives a fraction of the limelight of the others. He certainly appears to be the most feared fighter in the division because none of the other top big men dare mention his name.
So Ortiz is willing to keep smashing his way through those who will face him as he plows his way to the glory he aspires to obtain.
"I want to fight the very best and I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world," Ortiz said. "I'm willing to fight anyone, any champion, any place, any time. I'm ready for anyone: Joshua, Wilder, Klitschko. I know I can beat all of them."
Ortiz's signature victory came 11 months ago when he crushed former world title challenger and quality contender Bryant Jennings for a seventh-round knockout. He followed that victory with a punishing knockout of former two-time title challenger Tony Thompson in March.
But difficulties getting other name opponents and issues with promoter Golden Boy led to his team buying out the promotional contract for $1.1 million. A talent such as Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) was unlikely to be on his own for long, and six weeks after the split from Golden Boy he signed with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, the No. 1 promoter in the United Kingdom.
Hearn is not one to get involved with fighters who are not from the United Kingdom, but signing Ortiz was too enticing and he made an exception.
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